If Mom's Not Happy...

Oh, boy, I think I've hit a wall.

With each of my babies I've come to a point when the sleep deprivation has taken all I can give, and I start to get a little, ahem, cranky. I think I'm there.

The process goes something like this:

Month 1: not bad... hard to get used to not sleeping as much, but hubby, family and friends provide tons of help so I get lots of naps.

Months 2-3: I get tired of going to bed at 8pm, wanting to do more with my life than feed, clothe, and wash other people. I am a little tired during different points of the day, but after the kids are in bed I get my second wind and stay up too late. (A friend has coined the term "late-night internet obsession".) I get less sleep, but hey, soon we'll get into a groove and it won't last that long, right?

Month 4-5: I stop getting that second wind in the evening. I fall asleep reading distant friends' blog posts at 9pm. I am super cranky in the morning. I am desperate for sleep.

And here we are. This morning was particularly trying, since I had gone to bed relatively early with hopes of a good rest, but I saw every hour of the night on the clock. And then Sam and Levi were up at 5:15.

And here's the kicker: when Mom's not happy, nobody's happy, which makes Mom even less happy. And a lot more cranky.

For whatever reason (possibly something to do with their relatively patient mother snapping their heads off) both Sam and Levi decide to join in the game. Here is an example of some of the shenanigans that took place in our house this morning before 8am:

I didn't think to take the picture until after I had washed his arms and face, which were also covered in hieroglyphics.

But here's the good news: We are taking steps towards normalcy. We have begun teaching Nate to fall asleep in his crib, which is going really well. He is also widening the times between nighttime feedings. We're getting there, and it can't come soon enough. :)

Oh, and Mike and I are going out on a real date tomorrow night!