Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Sleep Regression... Oh, It's a Thing!

Understatement of the century: Motherhood isn't easy. Am I right, moms? But with the bad days there are some pretty amazing days that follow.

What were your crappiest and happiest days of motherhood?
Linking up with Christine, Brittany, and Ashley for Mama Tells All
Mamas Tell All

For me, this was kind of a tough topic to tackle. I'm a relatively new mom. At least I consider myself to be a new mom (yes, still). Zander will be five in February and Ainsley will be two in January. Yes, I've had both crappy and happy days but I can almost guarantee that some of the more (how should we say?) Advanced? yeah... advanced moms would probably say my crappy days are a walk in the park. But my crappiest? That I don't know.

Let's travel back in time, shall we? Ainsley was born Jan. 26, 2013 and from the day we brought her home, I immediately knew she would be a much better sleeper than Zander. From day 1, Zander would sleep 2-3 hours at a time no matter what. Ainsley on the other hand, she started off sleeping 5-6 hours at a time. WHAT? I thought the 2-3 hours was the norm! There's no way my sweet newborn baby girl was already sleeping 6 hours IN A ROW! But, it was true and she definitely did. For FOUR MONTHS STRAIGHT. Oh, y'all I was in heaven. Stuff was getting done around the house, I had showers at night, I wore makeup! (I know, it shocked me too).... and then the "four month sleep regression" hit.
Josh and I lovingly refer to this phase of Ainsley's life as The Great Parent Test of 2013. It was like a light bulb was switched on May 29th of that year because that's when she went from sleeping 6 hours in a row to sleeping 4 hours in one night... broken.


 Broken sleep is crappy. Angry babies that have had little sleep and refuse to nap are crappy. New moms: don't ever say no one warned you because here's your warning today. Having to work a full time job, take care of two kids, maintain a healthy marriage, and find time for myself ALL on 4 hours of broken sleep. You can probably guess that I wasn't a pleasant person in this time of Ainsley's life. The worst part was it lasted for five months straight.

The good news is, this phase of her life ended. There's always a silver lining to crappy mommy moments. I have plenty of happy mommy moments. Every single day. When my kids stop playing to say "Mommy, hug!" or Ainsley randomly wants kisses. It just melts my heart.

My Wednesday Wish today (with Anne!) is for all moms, especially new moms to be able to see there is a silver lining to crappy mommy days. There may be a day when your kid(s) test you patience and really push your buttons, but I promise they're attitude will change in the blink of an eye and before you realize they'll be cuddling with you. I wish moms out there to cherish the happy mommy moments. Put down the phone / ipad / laptop / whatever and go lay on the porch to count the stars. (We did this last night! SO FUN!) I certainly don't wish sleepless nights on anyone! I'm so thankful for being past that phase.
Love the Here and Now

27 comments :

  1. This post, while I do feel for you, made me laugh out loud! Mostly because of the title you gave the "test" and the Honey Boo Boo GIF. Great post! Thanks for linking up to Mamas Tell All. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. hahaha I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was trying to add some humor to it, since we've gotten past that stage in Ainsley's life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this Melissa!! I've been enjoying some of the mamas tell all posts, even though I'm not a mom and can't really relate yet! Thanks for sharing the joy and the struggle of being a mom-- I'm amazed that you functioned on 4 hours of broken sleep! If I sleep less than 7 hours a night I'm a wreck, at least intellectually!

    ReplyDelete
  4. lol, before kids I was the same way. I could barely function on less than 8 hours of sleep. Now it's amazing what I can get done on very little sleep. It's all worth it when I get tiny hugs from the kids though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well that is great news! Because I'm not getting any younger ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lack of sleep is a big crappy on my list lol. It was very hard for me when I was working full time/ over time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. No kidding! I'm not even sure how I was able to do it, but I did. Now I'm dealing with an angry preschooler that likes to test my patience. haha

    ReplyDelete
  8. the.sleep.regressin. that was such a surprise for me and boy, was it hard! -- so disorienting! I really have nothing to share on "how" it ended...it just sort of got better -- just a phase, I agree! Your wishes are so sweet! Thanks for the reminders! Thanks for linking up :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. You're right... I'm not really sure how it ended with Ainsley either, it just sort of stopped. I'm glad you liked the post though :) Happy Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh man, I'm not a mom yet but I know that lack of sleep will be an issue for our family. I'm able to sleep a little and run a lot but my husband has to have his sleep or he can't function. Aw, and I love the idea of lying on the porch and looking at the stars! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Just the word sleep hurts hahaha. Sleep regression and growth spurts are the WORST!! I can't believe you did all that and worked full time with 2 kids. You are amazing! But just like you said "this too shall pass" these moments when they are little are so special, it all goes by so fast.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I got lucky that Josh doesn't require a whole lot of sleep for the most part. However, after Ainsley was born you would've thought HE was the one that was in labor for 24 hours! He slept SO MUCH after I gave birth. haaha.
    You should definitely lay on the porch and look at the stars with your hubby! so relaxing!

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOL @ "just the word sleep hurts". It does, doesn't it? I'm honestly still not sure how I was able to do it. And breastfeeding too. Looking back, I'm not sure why Josh didn't kill me. You're right though. It goes by in the blink of an eye. I'm still not sure how Ainsley got to be 19 months?

    ReplyDelete
  14. stories like this make me wonder why people say "slept like a baby" like it was a good thing...

    ReplyDelete
  15. There are definitely crappy moments in motherhood but thank god the happy moments outweigh them by a mile! My kids were never great sleepers or nappers; I learned early on how to function on very little sleep...it's tough!

    ReplyDelete
  16. HAHA right?? The expression should most definitely be "I slept like a husband" because they're the ones that get the naps in all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  17. it is tough, but we manage to get through somehow. (lots of coffee and friends!) hehe. Glad to hear I'm not alone. Are your girls still fighting sleep or are they fighting to get up in the morning now that they're teens / pre-teens?

    ReplyDelete
  18. My oldest is definitely a night owl and requires little sleep but handle sit well. My middle daughter likes to sleep now...stays up late and would sleep late. My youngest is so easy going...she goes to bed at a set time still (except on weekends) and wakes up pleasant no matter what.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kenzie tests me too. :/ & she is just starting to learn about attitudes and her personality. Yay for years to come. :P

    ReplyDelete
  20. That. Sounds. Awful! My first didn't sleep more than two hours until three months. My second was awesome! 5-6 hours and would go back to sleep after eating. I'm scared if we ever have a third bc I was spoiled with the second!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yeah, Zander was similar. He slept 2-3 hours at a time for 4 months then about 4 hours straight for another 5-6 months. I was used to it because it was like that from the beginning. Ainsley was mean and spoiled me then switched it up without any notice! haha.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yes! There's always a silver lining...no matter how crappy it gets! :) Glad that stage is OVER for you! Claire has always been a great sleeper, so I'm preparing for Judy to suck at it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. This gives me hope... The four month sleep regression was not something I was prepared for and it rocked our world... And still does. It landed us in a co sleeping situation and our little girl is up constantly, but honestly this gives me hope! Sleep is the worst part but the best parts are pretty amazing!:)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh my goodness... I just had my first in January and my husband slept SO MUCH after I have birth. I actually asked him for an apology for it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. lol, yeah the kids are usually the opposite aren't they? little sillies. I hope Judy isn't too bad for you! and YES I'm sooo glad we're past this! YAY

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm glad this was able to give you hope. We weren't prepared for it either but it DOES end!!! You can get through it. Even if it's on too much coffee! hugs mama

    ReplyDelete
  27. Awww Sleep is so important for child and for parent.

    ReplyDelete