This Too Shall Pass

There are a million and one reasons to be exhausted.  I can think of all the reasons some of my friends and family have to be just as tired, if not more so, than me.  One friend has a newborn and a 3 yr old. Another friend just had her 2nd and had her first day back at work this week.  She has to be there by 6am.  Several others are juggling 4 children and all the activities and doctors appointments that go with it. And sadly, I have a friend who just lost her husband and is faced with raising her 2 boys while working full time. I am constantly at awe at the way my friends and family make it look so easy.  I think to myself, "How do they do it?  Is coffee really that powerful? Maybe I should give in and start drinking it by the pot." They are my heroes.  So with that said, here's what's been going on with us and why I am so worn out.  

We just got back from an incredible week long trip to Canada. (My next post.) Last Friday, we woke up at 3:30 in the morning to catch our flight home.  The airlines had "tweaked" all of our flight itineraries since booking them back in May. Nora was wide awake until the moment they opened the plane door in Jacksonville.Then she conked out. She conveniently slept while we gathered our bags and for the drive home. Everyone on the shuttle commented on how lucky we were. They told us that most babies don't sleep like that. Once we got home Nora was re-energized and ready to roll. We put her to bed at her normal time thinking she must be wiped out.  We certainly were.  We were going to be driving to Tampa and back the next day for the service for our friend who had passed away and we were hoping to get a good night's sleep. No sooner had we shut the door to Nora's room did she climb out her crib (for the 1st time) and opened her bedroom door (for the first time). 

 I immediately got on the internet to see if there was a store still open where I could buy a tent for the crib.  Apparently they have been recalled because they cause death or injury. So we put the mattress on the floor, piled some pillows around it in case she rolled off, and sung her to sleep.  When we checked on her later that night we found her like this.  I went to craigslist and searched for another quick fix.  The first listing that pulled up was for a like new toddler bed, for next to nothing, and we could meet the sellers at a restaurant off the Daytona exit on our way to Tampa.  So that's what we did.  The next night was rough.  And each one since has been increasingly worse.

This pile of blankets is where Chris and I have been taking turns camping out after Nora wakes up in the middle of the night and refuses to go back to sleep.  She proclaims "All done!" and she means it. We have tried letting her cry it out but she is a willful one and has not broken yet.  It seems we have. As I write this blog she has been pounding on her bedroom door and has not stopped saying "Mommy" for the past 45 minutes, refusing to take a nap.  I have taken away Dora and all other TV privileges (shooting myself in the foot when it comes to dealing with an overtired toddler all day long). She has even been spanked a few times, which still has yet to phase her.

She likes her bed a lot during the day. She even pretends to nap, fake snoring and all.  Yesterday morning she woke up at 4am on the dot.  "All done!" Yesterday was also her first day going to Mothers Morning Out.  I was hoping that these milestones could be celebrated some. The big girl bed and first day of school are a blur.  I did get her to smile for the camera for the first time without saying cheese. As I dropped her off at school I told the teacher, "She's been up since 4. Good luck."

I had just enough time to grab a salted caramel frappuccino (AMAZING) and go to a doctor's appointment before I was back to pick her up.  The teacher said she did great and was giving hugs to all the kids.  When we got home there was another first.  She fell asleep in her highchair.  She looks the way I feel.  Now this might not seem like it's any different from anything you all experience on a daily basis, but throw in the fact that on Sunday she decided she also wanted to start potty training and I'm just about "All done" myself.   

Today my amazing friend brought over longer bed rails. She assembled everything for me while Nora tried to nap on the bed we were working on. Nora didn't even want to play with the two other kids playing in her room.  And yet, here we are at actual nap time and she is still screaming.  My friend also played with all the kids so I could take a shower.  She is one of my heroes.

So if you haven't heard from me since we got back, it's not because I don't want to return your calls.  It's because my daughter is screaming. It's OK though. This too shall pass.