For the last seven months, M and I have had an arrangement. I’m the morning person, he’s the night owl. That means he’s taken a fair amount of the “wee hours” duty, while I’m the one who gets up with them when they’re ready to start the day at 5:30 or 6:00AM. It works for us, more or less. But still, I’m awfully sleepy in the morning. Even when I go to bed early (which I don’t always manage), it’s still hard to be up and energetic when it’s still dark outside (thank you, daylight savings).
M, delightful husband that he is, deemed Sunday to be “mommy sleep-in day.” Despite being in the middle of a somewhat nasty head cold, he got up with the kids on Sunday morning and let me stay in bed. Oh, what a difference a couple of hours can make! And, more to the point, the huge difference between jumping out of bed because you have to, versus staying in bed as you damn well please. I didn’t break any records for sleeping in, by any means. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’ve been getting up between 5:30 and 6:00AM for seven straight months, I can’t just suddenly sleep until noon. But it was still delicious to sort of drift awake (admittedly, there was some baby shrieking downstairs, but I knew I didn’t have to do anything about it), and stay in bed sort of drowsy. I didn’t pull off those covers until after 9AM. NINE! My god, that’s like the middle of the afternoon to me.
It put me in such a good mood, I didn’t even mind when M went back to bed after we put them down for their morning nap (he still felt quite crappy, poor guy). I felt rested and productive, just because of that extra two and a half hours of sleep, and the fact that I was able to get up on my own terms.
It’s the little things, you know?
Never, ever, divorce M! NEVER! I read the story about how you met, but didn’t you forget the part about coming in on a big white horse? You’ve got a good man, there, Missy. ‘Course, he did quite all right himself…
Jon and I trade off every day and on the weekends, we each sleep as late as we want. Even an extra hour on weekdays makes a difference. And now that the boys can climb down the stairs on their own, walk over to their boosters, and self-feed, we drink our HOT coffee while the boys eat.
Of course, we still wake up to crazy noises. But savoring coffee while two kids are awake and occupied is PRICELESS.
Oh, getting up at 9 a.m.?! That sounds better than a vacation to Hawaii! M is a good man, indeed! Johnny takes the first feeding on weekdays because I work and he has afternoon classes, so I can get more sleep. I would love to sleep until 9 a.m. though!