The sleeping thing

So if you have a child you most probably have some fetching carrier bags adorning your under-eye area, well I do anyway. Sleep really does become such a complete OBSESSION when one has children.  At least among my friends and those I've 'met' through blogging it does.

Why is this? Simple. We NEED SLEEP.  Our bodies and our minds need it to function. It's no coincidence that Macbeth was desperate for it after doing away with old Banquo 'balm of hurt minds' he called it. But clearly murdering someone and the guilt keeping you awake is of course different to the enforced sleep deprivation of small people waking you up every goddamn minute of the night, but no less damaging I shouldn't think.

My night times are a mix of my bed, Eliza's floor, my bed with Eliza and a foot in my face or indeed once the landing floor as I was too tired to actually make it back into my own bed. Him indoors checked out long ago. Preferring the comfort and quiet of a full night's kip in the spare room.  I am not alone.  According to Laura Craik in the Evening Standard yesterday this is a common symptom of having children.

I mean at what time in your life before kids would you ever be grateful to be woken by an alarm clock? You wouldn't would you? No normal, sane person ever woke gleefully to the sound of a ringing bit of tin or an electronic beep beep beep.  No we hated it, threw it across the room, stamped on it, or just hit snooze come to think of it.  But now I long for the need of an alarm clock.  I don't ever need one these days, not for the last 3 years. I have 2 alarm clocks with arms, legs and voices louder than the ringing bit of tin.

Isn't it funny though how you just adapt?  I mean I have had probably 2 unbroken hours sleep this week and I've gone to work and tried to act normal or I've looked after the girls and behaved like a 3 year old. No change there then. I'm heartily sick of waking up in the morning feeling like I need another few hours sleep, I'm bored of falling asleep on the train and then jolting awake at Waterloo having dribbled on my coat and slumped into the arms of a stranger.

Which is why I am SO BLOODY EXCITED about tomorrow. I am going to stay with my big sisters as it's my biggest sister's birthday dinner.  Just dinner in a pub, but my how wonderful.  Just me and my sisters, adult-ish conversation, food and wine, but perhaps more importantly a night's sleep.  Without a foot in my face or a barbie sticking in my back, or cold feet because the cot mattress on the floor is too small for me.

Heaven.