Still not sleeping

I’m writing this post on borrowed time, in brief moments while Jelly naps and Moe occupies himself (read: stims) on various toys with lights, sounds and spinning pieces. These toys which I, in an attempt to encourage imaginative play, allowed to run out of batteries and be silent until today, are saving what little of my sanity I have left.

Despite the melatonin and despite the new mattress, our sleep issues continue. I say “our” sleep issues because when Moe doesn’t sleep, I don’t sleep. And last night, we didn’t sleep.

Yesterday, Moe had a morning appointment up at Stanford Child Psychiatry. We’re trying to get him into a research study up there and he had a language assessment. I couldn’t handle watching him at another assessment, so Jeff took him. Although these assessments are always stressful for Moe, Jeff said it wasn’t too bad. It was shorter than a regular day at school, so it shouldn’t have affected his schedule.

That afternoon, I put him down for a “nap.” Moe doesn’t actually sleep during nap time. He hasn’t since around his second birthday, but he likes hanging out in his crib and I like the break time. But yesterday, he napped for 3 1/2 hours, until almost 5:00 pm. Normally, I wouldn’t let him sleep that long, but the babysitter was here. Moe was also a little stuffed up and I suspected a cold. In the past, naps haven’t really affected his ability to fall asleep at night, but right now all bets are off. A half hour before bed time, he took his melatonin as usual and we put him down at his usual 7:00 bedtime.

7:30 rolls around, then 8, and he’s still making noise. Around 9, I checked his diaper. Clean, I tucked him back in. He was quiet for a while, then started jumping and squealing. Brought him into my bed and snuggled for a while. When he was calm and yawning, I put him back down, and he was once again quiet for a while, then not. Rinse and repeat three times or was it four? At some point, we gave him more melatonin, which did nothing. Around 1 or 2 am Jeff brought him to the living room and closed our bedroom door. Moe finally fell asleep at – wait for it - THREE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING.

Thank god I had already decided not to send him to school today. I am also thankful that it is Friday, that Jelly didn’t wake up during the night, and that someone invented coffee, Diet Coke and chocolate covered pretzels. I am less thankful that the dog won’t stop barking, that I have not had a shower in what smells feels like days, and that I cannot put Moe in his crib today for fear that he might actually fall asleep.

I wish I were at BlogHer10. Mostly for the hotel room.