Sleep (or lack of)

People always joke with you that until your kid sleeps at night you will have to just manage on next to no sleep. I always thought people did that as a way to bond with other people or to say, see, you are about to find out why I'm always tired. Like many others we had our share of sleepless nights with our daughter. She finally started to sleep through the night at a year. It was a long year but we thought we were golden after it became a habit. And then every few weeks teething gets in the way and we lose that sleep. So what people don't tell you is that your kiddo may start sleeping through the night but then it all goes away. I have learned to survive on less than 5 hours of sleep over the last 2 years but never dreamed that was possible. Also, the days of me getting more than 3 hours of consistent sleep are gone. I was never good at going back to sleep after I was awake...hah, if I didn't master that I would be a zombie by now. Even though I may groan if I just went back to sleep and its my turn (already) to get up with the kiddo, there is nothing like snuggling with your child at 3am (even if it is the 5th time that night). It's hard to get upset or mad when they look at you with their little eyes (that you can see yourself in) and they are whispering your name.

So, to all of those Moms and Dads starting this adventure, it gets better. You do learn to deal with little to no sleep and it eventually doesn't make such an impact on your day. But, a word of caution (as stated above), just because your bundle of joy starts sleeping through the night...it doesn't mean it will last forever so cherish those nights where you get your much needed sleep!