Keeping Him Awake

The new thing is keeping the Doodle Bug awake for as long as possible at night. No more of this 8:00 or 9:00 pm bedtime...
and no more late afternoon naps.

It is our mission to wake him up and keep him going like the energizer bunny until at least 10:00 or 11:00. If we don't, and he happens to fall asleep for one of his power naps then we're in for a world of hurt around the witching hour.

The Doodle has never been a good sleeper. Ever. I can honestly say since he has been born I have not had a good night's sleep. Not the kind of deep REM sleep where you wake up and forget where you are. I feel like I'm sleeping with one eye open; whether it be the fear of him having a seizure or falling out of bed or peeing the bed and having to get up in the middle of the night, sleep does not come easy around here. And, sleeping in is also not an option. Even if the Doodle is sleeping in the morning, we have to wake him up to give him his anti-seizure medication by a certain time. Anti-seizure medicine is something you need to really regulate as far as being consistent.

If that's not bad enough, he's a really light sleeper too. He wakes up with the sound of a cough or a subtle creak of the bed. If the phone rings or the alarm on a door chimes, forget about it...we have to start the whole going to sleep process over and pray for a miracle.

One way I used to be able to relax and unwind after a busy day of working and being a mom would be to watch one of my grown up shows after the kids went to sleep...the Doodle, now a control freak of sorts, only tolerates certain shows on the television. His shows. So I'm only getting to watch things like Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora the Explorer and the Upside Down Show at night. No more watching things like American Idol, Grey's Anatomy, The Good Wife, Celebrity Rehab and all of my favorite trash t.v.

Oh the sacrifices we make as parents...