Sleep interrupted...

Our sleep woes continued through the early part of 2013. Nathan was on his third round of antibiotics; the first for an ear infection that we didn't even know he had, but found out at his 15th month well visit. The second was for a sinus infection. Yeah, who know kids so young got sinus infections? He got his first one at 4 months old so this wasn't new to us. And, now, on his third round because the first two didn't do their job. 

At this point, we were ready to just give up on the sleep situation and just accept it; as hard as that was. We could count on one hand how many times Nate slept past 6 am in 16 months! And, we could count on two hands how many times he slept past 5 am. On most days, he was up at 4 for the day and that's not counting the times he was up in the middle of the night. Those days were so difficult. 

You don't ever realize how truly important sleep is until you're not getting enough of it! I (Amy) know what it's like to feel exhausted and beyond fatigue. If you've ever had a thyroid issue, you know what I'm talking about. Benjamin started sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old. We knew we were incredibly lucky with him, but we didn't realize how lucky until we had Nathan, the non-sleeper! Within 3 months after giving birth to Benjamin, I knew there something wrong with my body because the fatigue, even with 8 hours of sleep at night, was ridiculous. After a visit with my doctor, I quickly learned my thyroid was out of whack. After 2 days of medication, I felt like a new woman. I've been on it ever since and can absolutely tell the difference if I forget to take it. Being tired because of forgetting your thyroid medication and being exhausted from a non-sleeping child are two totally different things. I'm sure some of you can relate; not that we would wish it on anyone.

Lack of sleep can affect your entire life: your days, your nights, your marriage, your friendships, everything. As a couple, we always do our best to keep our lines of communication open, but true exhaustion really puts relationships to the test, including those we have with our children. I will never forget a piece of advice my doctor gave me during a routine thyroid check: always try to get at least 4 hours STRAIGHT of sleep at night. This is how long it takes your body to recover. Obviously, 8 hours would be ideal, but we're not that lucky!

Ben & Stephen doing "Cheers" with cupcakes!

I think I'm exhausted...