Getting by

There's a longer, potentially more insightful post that could theoretically be composed of careful consideration of the challenges each of my children is facing (and forcing me to face) of late. A lot of it has to do with sleep patterns. The baby has gotten to the point where he goes to be fairly early and also fairly willingly; the problem is that for the past week or so he hasn't stayed asleep very well, waking up right around the time a few hours later when my wife and I are going to bed (or just a few minutes past the point where we've actually drifted off) and at other random, unpredictable intervals thereafter. It's not his fault, of course, but since he can't talk we can only guess at the cause: gas? teething? growing pains? a wintry virus? (Likely a combination of some or all of those and more.) The little girl, on the other hand, sleeps through the night reliably enough, but is becoming quite an early riser on one end, waking up shortly before our alarms would go off, or shortly thereafter. And at the other end, she has taken a staunch anti-bedtime stance on general principle, and everything we've tried to appease her and make getting ready for bed fun and engaging and somewhat on her terms and ultimately freakout-free has not worked at all. So basically the baby goes to bed without a fight and then the little girl puts up a huge fight, and then we finally get her tucked in and then the baby starts fighting sleep to varying degrees and then when those twelve rounds are over the little girl is up again and demanding breakfast before the sun comes up.

The little guy, for his part, goes to bed when we tell him to, sleeps deeply, and gets up last. And good for him, he needs his rest, mainly because kindergarten is full of its own challenges, much moreso than we would have anticipated back in August. (That's another potentially long post.) The little guy gives us the most reason to fret and the most grief and attitude during waking hours, and honestly that's the time of day when the little girl and the baby are relatively easiest to deal with. Then nighttime comes and everything flips.

So, yeah, fascinating stuff, but the fact that I've missed a few solid nights of sleep in a row myself means that I find myself at a loss for insight or even particularly inspired recounting, so please forgive this meager placeholder of a post. My wife and I are both of the opinion that there are corners to be turned in the very near term, as viruses run their course or teeth finally erupt or toddler bedtime compromises are ultimately negotiated. Then maybe I can look back critically at this particular turbulent patch. For now though, it's just taking it out of me, and about all I can muster is an acknowledgment of that fact before I square my shoulders and head once more unto the breach.