June 29, 2009

Distracted


I'm frequently sleep deprived for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to having a light-sleeping toddler and the fact that sleeping just seems like a big waste of time and I don't want to do it. I have a lot of things I'm trying to accomplish around here.

Over the past 2.5 years since Tristan was born I've adapted pretty well to not sleeping and generally avoid having it interfere in my life too terribly much. Except yesterday.

I was really groggy getting up that morning and reluctant to get started. I could feel the bed calling me like a coaxing lover with a sweet embrace. Oh, to be wrapped up in soft, downy comforters with the ceiling fan swirling cool air around me.

About that time I hear, "Juice, Mommy."

To which I respond, "I'm on it." Except it came out more like, "mymawllit."

At the fridge I began a cascade of yogurt avalanche and while I was picking those up, Tristan sneaked in behind me and grabbed the top of the sippy cup and started saying, "Na na git meeeee..." Normally that's slightly cute, but that morning it was just annoying since my body parts seemed to have mutinied from the Commander-in-Chief up there in my head.

After about two hours I was ready to leave for work having lost an hour somewhere. I never did figure out what happened to that. Rob called twice saying, "Where are you? Are you coming in?"

I told him I was in the kitchen. The second time he called he asked where I was and I told him in the kitchen. He said, "You're still in the kitchen? Why are you in the kitchen?"

I said, "I'm in the kitchen because my phone is in the kitchen."

He said, "Oh. I thought... nevermind."

I asked, "Did you think I have just been standing in the kitchen since the last time you called?"

After a pregnant pause he admitted, "Well, I wasn't sure."

I laughed, but then immediately stopped laughing after realizing I hadn't gotten much accomplished at all and maybe I actually HAD been in the kitchen all this time, asleep standing up.

I got Tristan's shoes on and got him to daycare. The daycare lady said, "Tristan, you've got your shoes on backwards." I looked and sure enough he did. Obviously on backwards, not like the kind of shoes where it's hard to tell the right from the left. How can you not notice putting your kid's shoes on backwards?

At work, I knocked a stack of folders off my desk. After cleaning that up, I went to the kitchen to make a pitcher of lemonade and as I'm about to mix it together Rob says, "Hey, that's green."

"What's green?"

"How long has it been since you've changed out the water in the filter container? There's something green in there."

(As a side note, you can tell how we handle things like this so differently. He calmly points out that I've been drinking algae water for the last two days. When I see it, I start running around in circles yelling, "It's green, it's green, it's green. AAAAAH. greengreengreengreengreeeeeeeennnn.....")

Maybe if I slept more I wouldn't be such a hysteric. I know my kid would certainly be dressed better.

33 comments:

  1. Sleep is important. I wish I could do it better. Thanks for the visit and comment.

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  2. Aww, it's not easy, is it? Getting shoes on is nearly the end of me in the morning.

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  3. Take it from someone who knows. This too shall pass.

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  4. I am a relatively new reader, Wendy, and I read your posts and wonder "how does she do it?"

    As a still-newlywed working on our first little one, I can't imagine what it must be like. Your stories of Tristan never fail to make me laugh!

    Thanks! :)

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  5. I think sleep deprivation is the number one thing that drives me insane. If I don't get at least 7 hours per night, I am useless.

    this is why when I toy with the idea of kids, I usually change my mind pretty quickly.

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  6. Sleep is my enemy also. I find that eating and sleeping are a waste of time.

    Where do you work? With your husband? Just curious! (I could never work with my husband, one of us wouldn't make it home at night :)

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  7. I have a light-sleeping 10 month old. Haven't slept in months. I know I'm REALLY sleep deprived when I can't remember the drive home. That's when I beg someone to watch him for twenty minutes so I can take a NAP.

    Unlike you, I used to be a sleep-hoarder. I could sleep for days. Ah, the bliss of uninterrupted sleep.

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  8. It's so HARD to get to sleep! It's terrible! Especially when you have something the next day (exams, anyone? ¬¬)
    Even if you're not nervous - even if someone simply says "Hey, you need an early start tomorrow" my brain decides to rebel and I'm still lying awake at 3AM.

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  9. I can look back now and wonder how the heck I managed on so little sleep when the kids were younger. If I don't get at least 6-7 hours at night, I'm a goner the next day. MY shoes would be on the wrong feet!

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  10. Be careful; not sleeping has a way of catching up with you after a while. I once rear-ended an 18-wheeler on the highway, when I nodded off with my cruise control set at 65 mph. How I wasn't killed, I'll never know. Because the truck and I were traveling at close to the same speed, I was merely jarred awake by the impact; no damage to me and just a bent license plate on my car. I pulled off the highway at the next exit and sat there shaking for 20 minutes as the possibilities of what could have happened passed before my eyes!

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  11. I wish there was a way to make sleep more condensed. Like laundry soap. that we we could sleep less, but get more out of that sleep.

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  12. It's been a rough day over here. Could you take a nap for me?

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  13. I feel your pain. My day usually starts with my 2.5 year old climbing on my head - "Momma, I want juice", "Momma, I want to eat NOW". Who eats at 5 AM?

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  14. Having just visited a few of your blogs I can see why you might be getting a little less sleep than some of the rest of us! Add a toddler to the mix and I'm guessing you need a nap! A long one!! ;-)

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  15. Thanks for stoppin gby 'Pair' Slices. I love getting comments and viting other blogs. I can totally relate to your post, there are many days I aplogize for bringing my kids with uncombed hair or breakfast still on their face. I hope your day got better! I will be sure to check in with you again.

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  16. I always thought that I would get more sleep once the kids were grown and out of the house, but I think I get even less now. Now I have grandkids to keep me awake along with the grown kids needing my assistance. :)

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  17. It seemed as if your youngest son never slept and I kept thinking that things would get better once he grew up. ... he's a rock musician and he spends his nights rehearsing so I still don't get much sleep. Brainfog has become a natural state for me by now. =)

    Have a nice summer!

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  18. Hey I put my shoes on like that all the time! Haha! Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog! The slip and slide has been a hit!!!!! My adult neighbor even got in on the action! Check out my blog giveaway that ends tonight!

    Be Blessed,

    Amy

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  19. I love the picture of the shoes!

    I'm with you on the sleep deprivation - I'm a walking zombie half the time :)

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  20. Awww, dont worry about sleep...it is like good bar-b-que,, the more you get the more you need... nice day ain't it.. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
    glenn

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  21. wow that sounds like the kind of morning I have at least once a week!
    This morning, the boys were arguing before I had coffee.
    I wondered if it was worth the 30 mile round trip to drop them off and then come home to get ready.
    I decided not to.
    Then I regretted that 15 minutes later.
    I made it to work at 945.
    Thankfully, I have a flexible boss!

    Thank you for the tips on the duct tape and foam...I didn't know duct came in different colors! Matthew is so fearless! He even tries to walk off chairs...why?????

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  22. Sleep deprived. Been there done that! I have a horrible story involving smoke inhalation and playtex baby bottles. Crazy, crazy times back then. Don't miss them at all. I'd rather take the snotty mouth of a pre-teen any day than a night of total sleep deprivation,and then getting up and trying to work. My poor two-year old daughter used to eat plain, white bread for breakfast. She "fixed" it herself because I was so sleep deprived that morning was a blur. Many mornings, she would say, "Mommy, Mommy, it's time to get up! I'm hungry"...all the time munching on plain, white bread. I had fallen asleep around 3:30 am...and it was usually around 6:30 am when she came to wake me up because I slept through the alarm. Awful, awful times!!!. Good thing she was a pretty good child

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  23. Aww man it was just one of those days, ugh. Hopefully tomorrow will be much smoother!

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  24. It had to be one of those days. Mothers do occasionally have these. Don't be to hard on yourself. Tomorrow's another day. See ya~

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  25. Sleep is important. You think your coping and then a day like this happens :). When my youngest was a baby, we woke up 2 times every night for 15 months. I thought I acclimated, but I was wrong.

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  26. When I get into a sleep-deprived mode, things happen. I'll get ready for work and my pet rock will say "you plan to go out in public dressed like that?", and only then will I note I'm wearing a dress shirt and my workout shorts...oops...

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  27. I don't even have a lil one anymore, and I still have sleep issues. Midlife sleep issues... well, that's my excuse anyway. Plus hubby comes home from 2nd shift anywhere from 12:30 to 2:30 a.m. and I usually make him something to eat. Between that and my own sleep issues, some nights I don't feel like I slept at all!

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  28. "How can you not notice putting your kid's shoes on backwards?"

    Hey, he had shoes on, didn't he? That counts. Sleep? What is that?

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  29. light sleeping toddler... coming in at 3 in the morning because she random thought it would be a good idea to ride on daddies back like a horse, she was lucky she wasn't an air-bourne toddler that morning.a bit of wind or rain outside and she is awake and thinks it is time for all of us to get up to, even if it like midnight, 45 minutes after we went to be... we have one of those light sleeping ones for sure :)

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  30. If you're normally a person who doesn't require a lot of sleep, that's one thing. But if you're not getting enough of that amount of sleep, that's another story. Did you know that sleep deprivation is used as a torture device?

    When I don't get enough sleep, I get pretty cranky and I get real clumsy, dropping things, etc. It's not pretty.

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  31. I loved it when I'd come back into the bathroom and see my toothbrush all ready with toothpaste just sitting there on the counter. What happened to cause that? I couldn't even remember!

    Funny blog!

    Hi from another Wendy, btw!

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  32. Once again, birth control for me! lol. I LOVE SLEEP!!!

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  33. Hey, at least you *found* 2 shoes. All I can find at my house is wrong sized soccer shoes.

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