I was quite the sleeper before becoming a mother. I looked forward to every Saturday when I knew I could sleep in until noon and then lounge around the house the rest of the day. I was never a napper but boy did I love 12-14 hours of uninterrupted sleep!
I was nervous going into parenthood because I don’t function well when tired, and both my mom and Joe have learned the dangers associated with waking me up. I was surprised that I was able to adapt to the lack of sleep in the newborn phase. I think pregnancy helped prepare me, as I could not sleep for long stretches without waking up in pain. Still, I have spent a goodly amount of past year and a half lamenting the days when I could sleep in and laze away the day.
The extended Thanksgiving holiday provided me with an opportunity to relive my pre-parenthood days. Joe and I both seemed to be focused on catching up on sleep, and he chose to go to bed early most nights whereas I decided to sleep in late. Most days I slept in until 9 or 10, which seemed amazing enough, but then Sunday I slept until noon! Then I proceeded to laze around the house all day, only breaking the monotony by baking brownies in the afternoon.
And you know what? It wasn’t that great. I can hardly believe it but I have actually gotten used to less sleep! I prefer a 10pm bedtime and mid-morning rising time. I love waking up at the same time as my husband and my son, lounging in bed for hugs and kisses and tickles for a while before getting up to eat breakfast and drink a cup of coffee. So this Thanksgiving gave me one more thing to be thankful for: a new appreciation for a lack of sleep.
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