No Sleep for the Weary

Well it is 3:45 a.m. and I am awake and have been pretty much most of the night. It is one of those nights where by my body is screaming to get some rest, but my mind just won't let me. I have prayed for everyone, I have gone through my "list" in my head, I have done just about everything I can do while sitting in my bed without waking my husband up. So I decided to give some comic relief to some people that have children like mine, that aren't good sleepers for the most part, and give you a run through of my night a couple of nights ago. I look back and think "if only I had a camera in my house to video this, I might could win some money". You know, one of those random thoughts to get something good out of a difficult situation :) . Anyway, I hope this makes someone laugh out there.

After an exhausting day, which I don't have the time to sit and write about, I finally get the kids to sit down and eat some supper after a long day, with NO nap. This is how that goes:

me: girls sit down and eat your supper. This is all you are getting, so if you don't eat now, you won't eat anything later.
girls: we aren't hungry. we don't want that. we want something else.
me: eat that or don't eat at all (mom I really am turning into you)
girls: we're full. we don't want anything else.
me: okay, go get undressed and wait for me in my bathroom to get into the shower
girls: yeah!! let's go!! shower!! (as they are running into their room)

In the meantime, I have Graci in the highchair feeding her while she is throwing everything down on the floor and on the walls. (Bryan isn't home yet from work at this point). I throw some more food on her tray to keep her happy while I go get the girls in the bath. I walk into the bathroom, they aren't there, they are still in their room playing - with no clothes on! They had obeyed the first part of my statement but didn't quite make it into the bathroom.

Me: girls, get into my bathroom now and get in the shower
girls: we're going (sassy and frassy)

I finally get them into the shower and wash their hair and run back into the kitchen to check on Graci, who is still throwing food down and now feeding our dog, Sadie. She looks at me and laughs and claps her hands. What else could I do but laugh back. Give her juice, run back to the bathroom.

I find the girls jumping up and down, spraying water everywhere, slapping each other with washcloths, and just being extremely loud. That's enough shower for me... Out I pull them.

me: get your towel on, dry off, go to your bedroom, sit on your floor, and wait for me (i know a lot of commands, but simple ones right?)
girls: yes, ma'am. (wow!, no arguing)

I run back to clean Graci up and bring her into the room with us to finish the "getting ready for bed" process.
When I get back to their bedroom, the older girls are running down the hall, with no clothes on again, and playing their new favorite game, Cannonball, on their bed. You guessed it, they run and jump onto their mattresses on the floor and act like it is a pool. Pretty funny except for the fact they are soaking wet and now their bed is too.

me: I told you girls to dry off and sit down. now do it!
girls: can we have some lotion
me: sit down and you can

After lotion, pajamas, hair brushing, and a slight drying of the hair, we are finally ready to go and lay down with chocolate milk, watch a little tv and get in the bed. Now this is how they fall asleep. So after milk, comes potty, teeth brushing, the "Jesus Story" (as they call the Christmas story), prayers and then lay back down. Daddy is finally home to do all this - yeah!

The next part goes pretty good. They fall asleep pretty quick because they are so exhausted. Daddy does the big girls while I go and get baby down. 7:45 by this point.

All is quiet and daddy and I are finally getting to eat and sit down ourselves. It's 8:30 now.

9:30 - daddy and I off to bed. Ahhh! sleep at last!
And the night begins

10:15 - I feel a presence next to my bed and then a slight tap on my shoulder
Payton: "mommy, I can't find my paci". So I go into her room and help her find it, take her potty and back in the bed.

Sleep

11:00 - Screaming - it's Payton in her sleep. Daddy handles this one. Emi has already walked in our room telling us that Payton is up.

Sleep

11:30 - I feel a presence next to my bed again and then a tap again.
Payton: "mommy, I need a hug and need you to tuck me back in". So off I go to her room again

Sleep

1:00 - Screaming.. this time it's Graci. Off to her for a bottle and rocking. Normally this doesn't take too long. This night for some reason, we were up for about 1 1/2 hours.

2:30 - Sleep again

3:30 - I feel a presence next to my bed again and then a tap again.
Emi: "mommy, I am itching and need some medicine."
me: "emi, it is very early in the morning and you can't have your itch medicine b/c you have school in a few hours and it makes you sleepy. Let's just put some lotion on.
So here it is at 3:30 while I am putting lotion on her legs and then finally tucking her back in

5:00 - alarm goes off for Bryan to get up and simultaneously Graci is back up again Back to her room to rock and some more milk
(I know people are saying she should be sleeping, but I am too tired to try and break the habit right now.)

5:30 - back down to sleep again

7:00 - up for the day

And I wonder why I am so tired all the time. So tell me why it is 4:15 in the morning and I am wide awake???

Hope you enjoyed or at least I made you laugh.

Off to try and sleep a little while before my day starts again.....