THE SUN WILL SHINE

This is the longest lapse in blog-posting that I have had since I started this new hobby. And I LOVE blogging, so I know that I haven't been myself if it's been (*gasp!) ELEVEN days since I posted anything. I know it's not that the boys are any less cute... so it must have been the sleep deprivation. But I am getting ahead of myself. This is an adventure worth reading about.
(Fair warning- this will contain some less than flattering pictures.)

About the middle of the week before last I suddenly realized: I have TWO children.
Two infant children.
Who, at the time, had decided NOT TO SLEEP ANYMORE.
In addition to my sleepless babies, I acquired a SLEEPING husband.
Josh & I had to switch medical insurance when he quit working to make it more affordable. With this change, came a change in prescription coverage. His anti-seizure medication is not covered under our new plan. If October of 2006 taught us anything, it's that Josh desperately needs anti-seizure meds to stay seizure free. So the doctor found a medication that was "similar", but a different dosage & brand. So Josh has been sleeping 15 to 18 hours a day to combat the drowsiness that the new meds are causing. This has lasted for about two weeks now. He is hoping, now that he started Spring Semester at WSU, for some reprieve as his body slowly begins to adjust.
This lack of sleep on my part & extra sleep on Josh's part proved dangerous for my well being this week.

This is the unflattering picture I forewarned about. See that nasty bump on the upper right hand corner of this picture? That is a self-inflicted Honda-Pilot-Driver-Side-Door-Pulled-Too-Hard-Misjudged-My-Head-Placement Wound. And let me tell you, it HURT! For days. I had called in sick to work on Monday and then took the boys to my mom's so I could come home & sleep. (Note the yellowing bags under my eyes...) When I went to fetch the boys & we were loading them in the car, I was injured. I drove home quickly, hoping not to lose consciousness seeing as it was Josh's first night of classes & I would be home alone with the boys for the first of many nights that night.

I myself managed to survive with little more than a throbbing head & utter exhaustion by the end of Monday night. Jack, however, had me scared. He had the reddest cheeks about an hour before bath time. I didn't know if it was from too much activity or if he had a fever. I tried to take his temperature, but I am never sure I am doing it right. I was so worried. And with my throbbing head, I couldn't think straight. I called my mom & she said to keep an eye on him for a while before doing anything. I gave him some ibeauprofen (does anyone know how to spell that correctly, even if they do have more than four hours of sleep?) and that seemed to help. By bed time he was better & I was grateful for day done.
~
Monday night's sleep was no better.
Neither was Tuesday's.
And by Wednesday morning, I was at my wit's end. I hadn't slept for more than two hours in a row for almost TWO WEEKS. I woke up, stumbled into the boy's room at about 5:57am, and picked Jack up. We sat in the darkness together in the rocking chair.
And I cried.
Sobbed.
Tears running down my face, & onto my chest and Jack's sweet head. As I continued to cry harder & harder, Jack looked at me, trying to understand, and then he began to wail. He cried the saddest, sweetest cry I had ever heard. I truly believe that he was experiencing empathy for me. Or that my tears scared him. Either way, I knew I had to get some rest for not only my sake, but for theirs.
It's true what they say- "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."
Wednesday night I got FOUR hours in a row!
And last night, I slept for SIX hours in a row.
~
But now today I found a bump in Logan's mouth... He is teething.
Uh-oh. I don't think I can go through all this again.
~
Along with this lack of sleep came quite a lot of complaining on my end (sorry to those who had to endure it...) and advice on the part of others: "Let the boys cry it out", "Separate their sleeping quarters", "Make Josh get up"... none of which would have been successful. But that's beside the point.
Here comes more whining: When I complained about a lack of sleep, or the challenges of dealing with the twins by myself during the week, I did not need nor want anyone to try & compare their experiences with mine! One baby is not TWO! What I needed was this:
Condolences on how much work it must be to raise twins, and congratulations for surviving it!!!
:)