A gift,,,

It only took 14.5 months....

but Girlio actually, like, slept last night.  Really slept.  Slept slept.  Like, woke up, stirred, and managed to put herself back to sleep, slept.  She woke up once, at 4 a.m., breastfed, and crashed for another two and a half hours.   This is, in case you didn't already know from all of my bleary whining, a night-time anomoly round these parts.   Consequently, I slept too.  Okay - I slept most of the night, excepting the part where I laid awake wondering if she was dead in her crib due to a fall down the stairs yesterday.  That was the only plausible explanation I could think of for her not waking up (again and again and again and again).  But still, it was the most sleep I've had since that little munchkin was born last June.  That is a lot of time to go, waking 3+ (and usually to the + side of that range) times a night, believe you-me.  

I could go for YEARS waking up with Girlio once a night.  If she wanted to continue this trend until college, I'd be fine with that.  Well, okay, I hope she's weaned by then, but you know what I mean.  (As a bit of an aside, I am always amazed when people try to commiserate with my sleep woes by confiding that their kid has a sleep "problem" and is always up once in the night.  Once in the night is NOT a problem.  Once in a night is a gift from the heavens.   Three?  Four?  Five times in the night?  That's a problem.  Your kid wanting to get up and have a midnight poker tourney or spend an hour picking your nose at 3 a.m.?  That's a problem.  But once a night?  Seriously people!  You're going to have to trust me when I say that I am not the person you want to confide this particular 'trouble' to).

It's amazing - really amazing - how different your outlook on life can shift when you have the basic need of sleep fulfilled.  I woke feeling refreshed.  Rested.  Kinda even, you know, happy.  Weird, I know. 

And the kids and I had a fun filled morning in which I was able to really focus on them and enjoy our time together.   I was able to match their energy level, or at least a reasonable facsimile, instead of lagging behind wondering where the hell their boundless enthusiasm comes from (certainly not me).

A little bit of sleep also helps us to put Girlio's sleep habits (or lack therof) into a bit more perspective.  She's pretty much perfect in every way - except for sleep.  And this is apparently, her 'thing'.  She'll work it out when she works it out.  Don't get me wrong - we're going to keep trying to help the process along - but a full night of sleep does help to take the edge of the parental desperation.  (And will hopefully help to end the late night promises to buy her a pony if she just goes back to sleep - sucks how bribery resistant babies are...)

Now - I'm not dumb (or optimistic) enough to believe this is a behavioural trend in her sleep.  We're not going to knock off seeking out that miraculous sleep-aid book anytime soon.   Instead, I'm going to think of it as a gift to us when L. and I most needed it, as we've been the walking dead for the last little while.  

So thanks Girlio, for letting us fill our really, really, really empty sleep tanks.   I hope you'll see fit to stop and fill 'er up sometime real soon.  Trust me when I say, your parents will be better people for it.