Wednesday 25 April 2012

Sleep, or the lack of it

Today I was woken up at about half past six in the morning by a rather posh voice saying: - "I've just been buffed."
For anyone who's never watched Chuggington, this will seem like a strange thing, but for those of us who have and have been subjected to many episodes of this train based children's program, you will realise that the evening before, Joseph had managed to take with him one of his Chuggington interactive toys, in the shape of Harrison, a rather egotistical fellow, but fun nonetheless. Once we were awake we listened to a variety of train-y comments like: - "I'll be there in two toots of a whistle." and similar.

Of all the rude awakenings we have had, I don't think this one was the worst. After all, what can be worse than being dragged from your slumber at 4am by a howling baby in need of sustenance and some serious cleaning up around the bottom. It's all the worse as it was well after midnight when the same screaming offspring finally decided to give in and sleep.
I've had dummies thrown at me in the early hours of the morning. I've been kept up by the rather odd but still strangely cute sound of a small child snoring away because he had a head cold. I've also spent an entire night (all right, half the night as Andy and I were taking turns) laid down next to a small child gently rubbing him on the belly as this was the only way to keep him from crying. We never really got to the bottom of that incident. He didn't go to sleep at all, but he wasn't unwell. Teeth might have been to blame, but we had no way of knowing and the Calpol appeared to have no effect.
Joseph, all things considered, is a pretty good sleeper. He usually has two naps in the daytime although I think we might at last be heading towards needing to cut them down. He used to miss a nap about once a week, but now it seems every other day I put him down and it takes far longer for him to drop off and sometimes not at all.
Oh, I am not looking forward to him having less naps. I put him down between nine and ten am and during this time I do about ten minutes exercise, which I can't do when he's awake as he puts me off by laughing and tries to stick his fingers in my step machine. I get up, get washed and dressed and watch something on one of the internet players that isn't suitable for small children. Often it's one of the various CSI series as they usually have pumping music in the sound track which really helps me to keep up a good rhythm whilst I exercise.
His afternoon nap starts usually around 12.30pm, or whenever he finishes his lunch. During this break I again sometimes watch programmes I don't think are Joseph suitable and I do chores that aren't safe to do with him up and about. I do the ironing, which would be a nightmare to manage if he was awake as he'd probably be pulling on the irons flex all the time. Not safe at all.
Most of all, it's nice to have a little rest. Even if I'm doing chores, then at least I can just concentrate on what I'm doing and not have to think about where Joseph is getting himself now and how I will have to rescue him before he manages to hurt himself. Sixteen month old boys seem to have no idea at all about personal safety and the consequences of their actions.
Oh Joseph, please go back to sleep for your nap. Please be that little boy who needs lots of daytime sleep for a good while longer, or at least until I can train you do do your own ironing!

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