Sleep All Night? What is that?

I have two older sisters, each with four kids.

One of them has twins.

I remember her telling me after the twins were born that once you become a mom, you never get a full night's sleep ever again. I told her that I would train my children to sleep because I need my sleep. Besides, they would be just like me, and love their beds and love to sleep.

She said that no matter how great of sleepers your kids are, for one reason or another you don't get to sleep all night.

And damn it. She was right.

Both of my kids are champion sleepers. It isn't uncommon for Charlie to go to bed at 7:30pm and not get up until 11am. She'll play for a little while in her crib in the morning, but always falls back asleep before letting us know she is ready to get up.

Sam has been a bit more of a challenge to get to bed lately, and she is up by 8am at the latest. Which isn't bad, don't get me wrong, but I'm telling you, my sleep problems have little to do with my kids.

Typically, I wake up every night at least once. Sometimes I roll over and look at the clock and think "WTF...why am I awake? It is 3am!" And promptly fall back asleep.

Last night I woke up around 3am, Workaholic was getting up to go to work. I listened to the TV from the bathroom, heard him walk out to the kitchen to get milk and cookies (breakfast of champtions) and smiled to myself as he carried Sam in to lay in bed with me.

(She had gotten up when she heard him too and climbed in bed with me. I sent her out to tell him good-bye just to hear his reaction at seeing her at 3:30 in the morning.) Then I changed her diaper and we both went back to sleep, her on his side of the bed and me on mine.

I wish I could get a full night's sleep.

I like to tell myself that I would be much more willing to get out of bed before 7am and start my day if I had slept the previous 8 hours straight. (just let me believe...)

I'm hoping that one day I'll sleep straight through the night again, someday.