Thursday, March 18, 2010

Sleep is the new coffee

Want to know how to kick the coffee? Try sleeping. Seriously, I cannot recommend it more highly. I've stopped counting the numbers of nights. I almost take for granted that I'm embarking on a solid night of sleep once my head hits the pillow. Almost.  And during the daytime I never wonder anymore if I should skip the mug and just mainline the caffeine.

There's still one or two things that amaze me about the whole shift in sleep thing. For example, I didn't tell you but after about a week of solid sleeping I decided, on a whim, to move Oliver into his own bed in his own room. You would think at that time I would be worried about changing something that finally seemed to be working, but, well, I didn't really think it through. But it didn't seem to matter. So Oliver is now sleeping in RT's room while he is away in London. But the really, really amazing part is the way he goes to sleep each night. You see, Oliver has never, ever been able to fall asleep without me or Nik next to him. Before we discovered the joys of melatonin this sometimes ate a two hour chunk out of my evening. And usually he wanted me to sing to him as he drifted off. It's a good thing I have fond associations with Twinkle Twinkle or I might by now have an unabiding hatred for the song!  These days, however, we all gather for stories in the big bed -- the one Sami and Oliver have shared for the past few years-- and then Oliver will inevitably tell me that he wants to go to bed, I'll say good night and off he goes. Nik tucks him in, turns off the light and we don't see him again until sometime the next morning.

How amazing is that?

And with all this rest, Nik and I are doing radical things: He is taking a half day off on Fridays, we take a yoga class together, then a leisurely walk home. We've hired a babysitter two Saturdays mornings a month so that we can start biking together again. We're thinking of going out in the evening! Together. Like on a date.

Radical things, I tell you, are happening in this new year!  I think we're all shifting to a better place.








9 comments:

  1. I'm very happy for you guys.

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  2. it's very nice to hear that good things are happening.

    i am definitely a melatonin fan. i've had life-long insomnia. started using melatonin about five year ago. still have trouble with the quantity of sleep, but it makes a huge difference with the quality. i dream more heavily, get more REM type snoozling. woo hoo.

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  3. That's just so good to hear. Especially the more time for you and Nik :)

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  4. I knew you had sleep issues, but I didn't know the details. All I can say is I'm so, so happy Oliver's sleeping, both for him and for you!

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  5. I so completely understand how wonderful this is, and I am so flippin' happy for you. To think that the last time we spoke you were on your way to sleep clinic... oh, the beautiful changes...

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  6. Oh I remember the days of having to lay with Andrew for him to sleep. I DON'T miss those days!!! I love how easy bedtime is for us now. So happy to hear that the sleep, the bedtime, is still going smoothly for you as well. It does make the world of difference in the whole family!

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  7. BRILLIANT
    I am pretty sleep obsessed too and we ar e doing Melatonin for R as well
    its really a wonder drug

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  8. Anonymous10:49 PM

    So so happy for all of you. Rest well!!

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  9. Anonymous1:02 PM

    Sounds so wonderful.

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