Even Superman needs his sleep

When I was pregnant, everyone said to get all the sleep you can before the baby was born. I did my best, but had a hard time sleeping due to hip pain and the wonderful world of waking up to pee all the time. I think this is pretty common among pregnant women.

Now, 13 weeks in , make that 14 weeks today, I am exhausted. Gavin had 1 week of really good sleeping, but now he seems to be regressing back to every 3 hours max waking up. At the beginning, exhaustion was expected during postpartum. Now though, getting my day in a somewhat structured routine is not working out quite well with this unexpected, “I don’t sleep, Mom,” turn of events. But, his 2 hours looks so peaceful!20130707_203501_resized (1)

Last night I was close to stabbing Adam with my laser beam stares.  I was on the couch at about 8pm feeding the baby and  explaining how exhausted I was, close to tears. The dinner I had put in the crockpot said it needed 4 hours, after 9 it still wasn’t ready to eat. I still had laundry to do and hadn’t accomplished 1/2 of the stuff on my Monday to do list. The next thing I know, I’m sitting next to a snoring husband, sound asleep. The laser beams from my eyes was nice compared to the thoughts in my head…kicking his legs off the couch so he woke up, getting Eunee to pounce on him, holding his nose and covering his mouth to make him wake up on his own…and that is just the beginning (I do love the man more than anything, I promise!)
who needs sleep?
who needs sleep?
There are so many articles out there about sleep deprivation and how to fix or at least manage some of it. After sorting through the many pages of advice from both Mom’s, magazines, and studies…these are the top 7 that work for us *I wish they really worked and he would sleep for 8 hours straight, allowing me to not be sleep deprived at all (wishful thinking)* 
  1. Just say No to added responsibility.
  2. Cut yourself some slack, it is okay to miss a day at the gym or have a bowl of cereal or whatever is grabbable for dinner.
  3. Help your baby develop sleep patterns, or at least a bedtime routine, ours is bath, book, eat, cuddle – starting at 9pm.
  4. Put the baby in his/ her own room (we started that at 2.5 months).
  5. Sleep when the baby sleeps (I still to this day can’t do it, but when he sleeps, I do try to relax).
  6. No need for a baby monitor, I promise you will wake up when they are crying loud enough to need you.
  7. Remind your hubs that it is “Fake Hate” (Thank you cousin Matt for this term), you love him to bits, you are just exhausted and don’t mean tot take it out on him.
What do you do to deal with sleep deprivation? What advice can you give other Mom’s who are operating on 2-3 hour sleep spurts?
How do you build a life around adventure and travel?

Intentionally and incrementally. Most families who live this way did not leap from conventional to adventurous overnight. They built remote work capacity, paid down debt, tested longer trips, and had increasingly honest conversations about what they actually want from their lives. The leap feels bigger from outside than from inside.

What does an adventurous family lifestyle actually look like?

Different for every family. For some it is long-term travel. For others it is weekend adventures close to home. What connects them is intentionality about how time is spent and a preference for experiences over accumulation. The version that fits your family is the right one.

How do you balance adventure with stability for kids?

By finding stability within the adventure rather than treating them as opposites. Routines, rituals, and family rhythms travel with you. Familiar foods, bedtime routines, and predictable family dynamics provide stability even when the location changes. Kids need consistency in relationships more than consistency in geography.

What has travel taught your family?

That people are fundamentally similar across cultures in what they want for their families. That comfort zone is a smaller circle than it feels from inside. That the things worth having in life require effort and discomfort to get. And that time together doing hard interesting things is the most reliable source of family closeness.

How do you handle the pressure to live conventionally when you have chosen differently?

By getting clear on why you made the choices you made and returning to that clarity when the outside noise gets loud. Most families living unconventionally describe an initial period of explaining themselves that gradually gives way to just living the life. The explaining becomes less necessary as the results become visible.


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2 comments

  1. Thanks for link to my blog. I can relate to your laser beam eyes… I seriously do that! I hope you find a way to get your sleep. Your sleep is just as important as baby’s and Dad’s!! <3

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