Sleep Deprivation

IHAVE RECENTLY REALIZED something really important about sleep, we all need it, some more than others. It is funny how when we are children we will do whatever we can to avoid going to sleep, but as we get older, we only wish we had taken more naps as a child. It seems at our current age no one will let us just lay down in the middle of the day and announce “I’m taking a nap, I will finish my work later when I’m not so grumpy.” I guess this realization came to me when I foolishly offered to give my daughter a break and have my fourteen-month-old granddaughter spend the night. What I didn’t know at the time was that my younger daughter would be in need of my grandma duties the same night and so I would also be taking care of Mocha her eight-month-old Frenchie Bulldog, who is now considered my furry granddaughter.

So, when you put 14-month-old baby with eight-month-old furry baby, the fun just never stops. The day started easy enough with Addy, my Granddaughter, crawling furiously across the living room, dining room, and kitchen area, with the little furry baby following right behind. They actually play together which is really cute I must say, in the beginning. When breakfast time came, and Addy was in her highchair she proceeded to put her hand down on the side of the highchair and share some of her breakfast with Mocha. This would have been okay if Mocha took it, but instead, she would just lick it, and then Addy would decide, “hmm she likes it, maybe I should try,” and the food went in her mouth before I was quick enough to grab it from her hand. All I could see were millions of doggie germs running rampant through her body as she chewed her food.

When feeding time was

over, I thought a nap might be in order, Wrong! Apparently, Addy did not agree. Off Addy went walking her wobbly walk, barely missing the edges of my coffee table and side tables, which are glass, but they were covered in blankets to minimize the effect of a possible slip. I didn’t’ foresee the emergency room as the way I wanted to spend the rest of my day.

Thinking that going for a ride in the car might be a good move and possibly make her fall asleep, we set out to take a leisurely drive with Addy to the Oceanside pier to see the sea lions. A very successful outing until we made the mistake of stopping at a nice restaurant for lunch. Addy proceeded to scream as if I was feeding her

to one of those sea lions. The reason? She needed sleep. Well if she did, you can only imagine how much I did. So, I used her mother’s routine for getting her to take a nap. I found the cozy blanket that I brought along, nestled her close, bottle placed in the mouth humming her favorite song at a low whisper, and as soon as the bottle was done, Addy picked her head up pushed off the blanket and went back to screaming. I thought some Mac and Cheese would solve the problem, I mean isn’t that like a good shot of whiskey to an alcoholic. Not my granddaughter, she did, however, take a ten-minute break to partake of the cheesy delight and once again it was back to the screaming at decibel levels that would shatter glass. This was my cue to take her outside until she calmed down. Sleep, she needs sleep. Maybe the car ride home would do it. So in the car, we went, and she was sleepless in the car seat. Back home and some serious nap time was about to happen if it killed me, and it almost did. Finally, snuggled in my bed with her, another bottle, and her favorite cartoon Peppa Pig, those eyelids finally closed. What a relief. I shut my eyes hoping to make up for the sleep deprivation that only a new parent understands, when my furry granddaughter decided she did not appropriately welcome me home. She jumped up on the bed and gave me a face full of kisses, and when she was done with me, she proceeded to lick the face off of Addy. So much for the nap. Off the two went, back and forth through the kitchen, dining room, and living room, crawling at full speed with my furry grandbaby close behind. No sleep for the weary as the saying goes, but if I put aside that pesky need for sleep, the truth is there is no better site than that innocent little face looking up at me and giggling. Hell, who needs sleep.

By Judith A. Habert