The Daily HUD & Maddie, too!: What's happening

Well, here's what's happening around the Akins house this week...

Hudson's cold kept him home from school for a few days, today he went back to school. Even though he was sick and sounded absolutely horrible, he had an absurd amount of energy and it was tough to keep him happy at home. Meanwhile, his sister has also been battling a cold which has made her one grumpy little baby, totally not her usual smiling self. I miss her smiling self tremendously and am optimistic that it will return- pronto!

Sleep. Oh, sleep how I miss you. I know, you've heard me say it a million times on this blog, but gosh, I really miss my sleep. I remember when I found out I was pregnant with Hudson, someone told me, "Congratulations, but you'll NEVER sleep again!" And, it's absolutely TRUE! Just when a baby starts sleeping through the night something happens....teething, walking, talking, adding siblings, becoming aware of and afraid of the dark, all of which impact sleep. Then, there's just downright refusal to sleep at all. My personal favorite.

Hudson has decided that he wants to get out of his bed at least 10 times every night before he falls asleep. The second his head hits the pillow, literally, the second, he starts yelling, "I can't sleep! I can't do it, mommy! I can't sleep, daddy!" So, Scott and I take turns going in and out of his room, walking him back to his room, tucking him back in and telling him he's safe, he can go to sleep.

Typically, though, at this age, once he's out, he's out for the night. Thank goodness. His naps...well, Hudson has decided he's ready to give up his nap. During the week he naps at school, and usually he does take a nap there. At home, forget it. It's not happening. I was really hoping we could keep the nap well past age 3, but alas, it's not in the cards for us. You might be wondering why I care so much about naps and why I talk about them all the time...well, naps are the only time in the day where I can actually do anything- shower, for example. So, no nap means no shower, no anything. Either the naps must continue or I'm going to continue looking homeless. Perfect. Life would be so much easier if we had someone nearby to come over once in a while and lend a helping hand. If only.

Then, there's Maddie....she has decided this week that 4AM is a nice time to get up for the day. She used to sleep from about 8PM-4AM-ish, wake up, eat, go back to bed and stay there until about 8:30. Heavenly. About as good as it gets at this age. Recently, though, she wakes at 4AM, eats and wants to hang out and play (which is so adorable, but at 4:30 in the morning, no one but her wants to play). It takes about an hour or so to get her back down (thank you, Scott) and at that point, you might as well just get up for the day. I've read this is just a phase that 4-month-olds go through, though I don't recall if that happened with the Hud. Who the heck knows?!

I'm trying really hard NOT to read anything about sleep because it just frustrates me, but then I wonder, I must be doing something wrong, what could it be? Then I pick up a book, flip through and gain a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe I have found the one and only solution to all sleep problems.

Yeah, right.

It's funny, I tell Scott all the time, I read this...I read that...in this book and it said...blah, blah, blah...and if you do all of this, your baby will sleep! Then I say, it should have a disclaimer that reads: unless your name is Shelley Akins, then there is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING you can do. You're just outta luck, your children are two of the only kids on the planet that don't need sleep.

In all seriousness, our kids are awesome. They really and truly are wonderful and I love them dearly. I am so proud to call Hudson my son, and Madeline...well, she really is a GREAT baby. She is so, so happy and wonderful, but sleeping (especially with regard to napping) and riding in cars- NOT her specialties. Fingers are crossed this changes ASAP. I want my sleep back! (and while I'm dreaming, a quiet ride in the car would be much appreciated, too).