I dream of sleep...

sometimes I get a little jealous that my boys can pass out just about anywhere...

We all have them, at least I hope it's not just me, those night after nights of no sleep, running on caffeine and the occasional sugar fix thanks to hot tamales for breakfast, right?  Okay, so just me then ;).
I just thought at this point in my life, since my children are three and nine years of age, that I would be sleeping through it--night, that is.  No more waking up to feed a fussy baby, change a diaper, or change the entire crib due to blow outs, spit ups, and the typhoons of bodily fluids babies seem to be able to project at any given hour.  No more staying up all night listening to their breathing when they're not feeling well and getting up countless times to feel foreheads.  That was years ago, and yet, here I am--still constantly being woken up at the senseless hour of 3 a.m.~~just like clockwork.  It's Griffyn's "sleeping" schedule.
It wouldn't be so bad if Daddy could help out every once in awhile, but G won't have anything to do with Marty at these wee hours of the morning.  He will scream at the top of his lungs, or in a very grouchy husky voice (he likes to alternate, depending on his mood), "I WANT MOMMY!!!".   I want to scream back at him, depending on my mood, "I WANT SLEEP!". 
Inevitably, I wake up so sore--from his little feet always seeming to find my back and give it several kicks from 3 to 6 a.m. (I think he dreams about "Kung Fu Panda" alot ;)) and he just has to be holding on to me in some form--usually it's his hands all wrapped up in my hair (really been meaning to get it all cut off ;)).  Needless to say, I don't really get any sleep past 3.  Makes getting around for work lots of fun--and I just wish, one night, he could just let Daddy attend to his needs.  I wouldn't even care if Marty had to bribe him with candy at this point~~maybe I should hide a stash of suckers on Marty's side of the bed ;)...
G tells me he gets up because he misses me.  He wants to "tuddle" and he just "yubs" me.  So, I feel bad, and a smidge guilty--on top of sore, tired, and cranky.  I mean really, how can I ostracise the kid when all he wants is to have some cuddles with Mommy when he wakes up?  I should be flattered that I'm the first person that pops into his head when he wakes up at all hours of the night, every single night, right?  So, feeling like a terrible mom for bemoning my lack of sleep when it stems from my kid just "yubbing" me and wanting to be with me.  Maybe I could lock his bedroom door when I put him to sleep...  Hmmmmmmmm...  Kidding!!!  Only kidding!!!
I keep hearing that sleep deprivation is the root of weight gain (something about stress and cortisol) and a host of all kinds of other health issues relating to our bodies ability to retain immunity against germs and how sleep deprivation can cause memory loss (or make you "stupid").  Our bodies, apparently, need the occasional rest period.  But I can't stress out about my lack of sleep, because stress is terrible for your body too.  I have pills to take, but I think they don't work as well if you aren't allowed uninterrupted sleep--so I wake up even groggier and crabbier.  According to Dr. Oz, I should try a gluten free diet for a few weeks to see if that remedies my headaches and tiredness (since 99 percent of the population that has a gluten allergy doesn't know that they have one).  If in that two weeks time I feel better, more rested, and have less headaches, then I have a gluten allergy.  Nope, pretty sure I'd still be as tired as all get out.  Pretty sure I just need the real zzzzzzzzzzz's.  But thanks for the suggestion...  May still try it just for fun.  Would be awesome if that was the remedy :).
Doing the best I can.  It seems that most of us are in the same boat.  Sleepily paddling along.  Clonk me on the head if I'm drifting when you paddle by, please ;)...
 Women just amaze me.  We can do so much with so little, and still manage to take care of our own families successfully--at least, in my sleep deprived delirium, it seems some what successful ;).  I am constantly encouraged by my mommy friends.  We're kind of awesome :).
And yes, I have been given the suggestion of drugging up my child with benadryl at night (given in good humor) and as we all have crazy allergies over here, I do have it in stock...  But wouldn't ya know it, G is one of those rare kids that gets even more hyper on the stuff ;).  He just breaks all the conventional "rules"... 
It's not horrendous.  Just annoying.  Coffee and tea are my best friends.  That coffee pot is set to go off on it's own at 5 a.m. every morning and I wake up to a steaming pot of Verona goodness that jilts my brain just enough to get into the shower and get moving.  And, Dr. Oz says it's good for me--so I can drink as much as I want ;). 
Keep trudging away...