Gone are the days of the snooze button
After a few discombobulating hiccups (whoever taught my baby to roll over? MINUS TEN POINTS FOR YOU), we've finally transitioned Marlo into a regular nighttime routine. It's not exactly perfect because she can barely make it to 6PM and then she's done. Kaput. Like she's been studying for that calculus final through the night and passes out, her head mushed sideways into the textbook, and her roommate has to physically restrain herself from taking a permanent black marker and writing BONER on her forehead.
And then some internal alarm clock goes off in her head at 2AM exactly. Sometimes it breaks and goes off at 1:58 AM, but that is rare, and I hop out of bed, run down to her room and savor the ten minutes or so that she eats. Then she's back down until 6AM. And oh, is she up. She is awake and ready for the day, barking orders and not really interested in the fact that we'd like another half hour of sleep.
For the past two nights Leta has come into our room having had nightmares about spiders, and it's always right at the point when I have just fallen back asleep. So in my weak and lazy state I just pull her up in bed beside me and we snuggle for the rest of the night. Or more accurately, she flails her arms and sticks her feet on my head. And I lie there awake resenting every sleeping person in the world.
And then at 6AM we're all there, all four of us in the dark, mushed together in bed, Marlo trying to tell us that we're boring and need some new tricks. The light from an iPhone is no longer entertaining. That rattle is so dumb. Please turn on the light and amuse me, slaves! So I reach over, fumble around until I find the bedside lamp, and then all four of us wince at the sudden glaring light. Some of us wince more loudly and agonizingly than others. I won't name that someone, other than to say that if there were a prize for best impersonation of a hyena being gutted with a chainsaw, we'd have a winner.
This morning I looked over at Jon and said, well, this is our life. Our Every Day Starts At 6AM Life, our Hit The Ground Running At 6AM Life, and as Leta made faces to make Marlo giggle, and Coco whined longingly in her crate to be let out, please let me out, you're having all that fun without me, we both laughed at the ridiculousness of it. Because as bad as it might sound, it's just so incredibly awesome.
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Heather talks about public tantrums (from kids) on today's Momversation.
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1. Jenny said:
Darling, as always!!
2. Chris @ Marriageconfessions said:
This is my life too.. Its so great, but i do miss sleep.
3. Betsy said:
Sounds like a perfect morning to me!
4. Claire said:
Lovely :-)
5. tracy said:
I used to be a sleeper-inner, but my daughter...not so much. I thought I would miss sleep (oh, sweet sleep) but as it turns out, I'd much prefer to spend those hours awake with Ellis.
6. Rebkas said:
Yep-- And guess what....It will never end! I have 13,12, and 8yr old and I am STILL awakened at ungodly hours for - well, NOTHING! My standard response to the 2am "Mom, I can't sleep" is: "Are you sick? No? Well, then SUCKS TO BE YOU" and I roll over and go back to sleep!
7. IL~Janet said:
wow! such cuteness- does Leta think Marlo resembles her?
8. Anonymous said:
You have accurately described my life almost perfectly. I have a lovely 1 year old daughter who we just recently got into a good routine, meaning she goes to bed between 6 and 6:30 pm and sleeps through until about 5:57-6:00am (minus the few times she wakes up to turn on her musical aquarium and goes right back to sleep). But man is she ready to be up and moving when 6am hits. Which means she often times wakes our 5 y.o. daughter up around 6:30am which is way too early for her. So we have now had to start putting our 5 y.o. to bed at 7pm so she gets enough sleep, helping to prevent nervous breakdowns and tantrums (on her part) to, oh at least 5pm.
The plus side to all of this, in our house at least, is that my husband and I sit and look at each other at 7:15pm and can't believe the silence around us. We then get excited about the fact that we can watch a WHOLE movie or show, UNINTERRUPTED, and still go to bed by 10pm if we want. Because hey, we have to start our day at 6am the next morning:)
Congrats on finding your own family "groove."
9. Erin@TheLocalsLoveIt said:
We could call eachother and talk. I basically live the same schedule. Only mine comes running in at all hours of the night screaming "I've got to go potty!!"
10. Donna said:
Your girls are beautiful!
11. Abby said:
My daughter is about a week younger than Marlo, and her schedule is just about the same. Waking up in the morning is just so much better from her point of view!
12. Janelle said:
Same here. My son wakes up and sonars me: mom mom mom mom mom mom (you get the idea) until I go get him. Then he exclaims at the top of his lungs - Vitamins!...Cereal!...I Wake Up!...Sun's Up! (always in that order - always with more enthusiasm then the day before)
When I tell him the sun's not up yet, he says "uh oh"
13. Shauna said:
It's fabulous you guys are finding the humour in it! At least there is coffee. THANK GOD FOR COFFEE!!!
14. dooce said:
#13 Shauna, oh yes, In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.
15. kara said:
Your writing always gives me such faith in the world. I chose to major in Things That WIll Make You Want To Kill Yourself, ie, Environmental Law and Gender Studies. Panic and Oppression, day in and day out. I wish I had someone to wake me up early and let me know that everything will be alright. Maybe I should get a dog.
16. Elle said:
Isn't it funny how kiddos have perfect internal clocks? My son wakes up for his middle night feeding at EXACTLY 4:17 am. No earlier, no later.
Great post!
17. Jen said:
I'm not sure which story I like better - yours or Jenelle's (#12). You guys make me want a baby, something I've never really cared about one way or the other.
18. SAHM: Surviving Assorted Home Mayhem said:
Hey, we have almost the same schedule! Little guy also goes 6pm-6am (however without the 2am wake-up now, thankfully) and we are up and at'em for the day! Of course, by 8:00pm we're falling asleep in the front fo the TV and can't remember the last time we stayed up past 10.
19. Anonymous said:
This kind of makes me lose my will to live since I also wake up at that hour - but to go to work and wish I had your life. Congratulations. We're all jealous.
20. dooce said:
#18 SAHM, I go to bed at 8:15 every single night now. If I make it to 9 it's a total party.
21. Sheila said:
# 6- Yes is does end!
My 5 kids are between the ages of 21 and 13. Believe it or not, I would love for one of them to jump in my bed at night and snuggle. It seemed like years ( I guess it was ) that my nights were full of elbows and knees. It really does go by fast, I'm happy you are enjoying it!
22. CreatureofHabit said:
Good grief! The dimples!!!!!!
Normally I sleep blissfully through the nights, a solid 8 hours or else I'm a real crab. But if it makes you feel better, there is an alley cat that has taken up in our 'hood and that thing starts up at 4 am and sreams for at least half an hour (sometimes it comes back and starts up again). Every night for the last week I've had to listen to it... such horrible, alarming sounds.....
23. wn said:
Life at 6am...when it's filled with love...is surprisingly more pleasant than it sounds (or at least more pleasant than what I thought it would be when I was 21!).
PS - my mornings are very similar, right down to the puppy in the crate...alas mine is a 2nd beagle....who is probably much dumber than Coco!
24. Fantasyland said:
Hoping this comes across as positive, because it really is...This post made me smile and chuckle out loud, and lately I haven't been able to do that as much here on dooce.com. The weird letter, the Maytag thing, the shingles video all were kind of a turnoff. But I've decided to never again look at MTH (or POP, for that matter) because it just gives me bad vibes and I think the whole drama surrounding your website has changed something...but only temporarily. But THIS post was great - reminiscent of your early writing and I'm so glad I haven't given up on you.
25. Sue said:
Must blow raspberries on Marlo-belly! How do you NOT eat her up with a spoon?
While we have no children, we awake every morning with 3 dogs and 2 cats. And we look at each other and smile. So, yes, I totally get where you're coming from, except my world has many, many more legs.
26. Finch said:
Slightly related, but I'm wondering if you've ever used a dawn simulator alarm clock or a light box as a treatment for depression, Heather? (Or anyone, feel free to chime in!)
I just recently picked one up and my god, it is amazing. I have had trouble sleeping my whole life and this dawn simulator alarm clock (no jarring BEEP BEEP BEEP) wakes you up slowly, naturally, using cues from the light. There's also a back-up traditional alarm, but waking up slowly/gradually allows you to go out of REM sleep, so instead of getting jarred from a deep sleep by your alarm clock, the light triggers you to start waking up.
The lightbox has also been fantastic, particularly living in Buffalo where we get so few days of sun over the winter months that my dad has a calendar where he keeps track of days without sunlight. Last year, there was a stretch of about 42 consecutive days without it.
27. Katherine said:
I'm amused that your baby is more disciplined than I am with her sleep schedule. Amused and discouraged.
28. Kristen from MA said:
'Are you pregnant and expecting a girl? GOOD LUCK.'
Seriously, Heather?
29. Holly said:
Sounds like the perfect way to start the day!
30. Aimee said:
For the folks who actually do miss their snooze buttons, I offer a glimmer of hope:
My kids are now 9 & 6. They still awaken too early, but they now get themselves dressed, brush their teeth, and unload the dishwasher...all while I am in bed hitting my snooze button once or twice. When I hear the pots stop rattling, I get up (much more cheerful than I would otherwise), make them breakfast, pack their lunches, and we all walk to school together. I think this is a lovely postscript to not sleeping through the night more than a handful of times between 2000 & 2006.
(Of course, last night, just to prove me wrong, the 6yo was up three times for various reasons, and they were both up at 6:30 this morning, chattering away loudly enough to awaken me several times. We drove to school today.)
31. Anonymous said:
She must be ready for her own press agent and secretary! How cute!
32. Kelly said:
I'm glad you can be happy about it because I couldn't be. Luckily my kids learned early on to sleep in. I usually get to at least 8am and lately my 17 month old is going through a growth spurt and sleeping until 9/10am. Now if I could just go to bed at a decent time, I might actually get a full night's sleep.
33. Noelle said:
It is so awesome--how much beauty is all wrapped up in the chaos!!! Congrats on your beautiful chaos. It's what makes us truly rich in life.
34. momma in the big O said:
the middle of the night pee pee report..."momma, I have to pee..." "well, you know where the bathroom is..."
and she is 7 and 1/2.......
sleep is for the old and empty nesters....who are too old and their prostrates and bladders won't let them sleep!
35. Marsha said:
This too shall pass and you will (hopefully) look back on these times and smile. (Is that sappy or what?) I don't see it so much in this video, but I am amazed at how much Marlo looks like Leta. They are both beautiful.
36. Anonymous said:
You say it's marvelous at the end, yet everything before that sounds like a string of complaints. And then we get a whole slew of comments from moms who think anyone cares about what their kid does, probably thinking their kid is THE FUNNIEST & everyone else will too. Ladies, nobody cares. But I guess whatever gives you all a reason to shove your kids in everyone's faces I guess ;) And BTW, my kid is cooler than all of yours so there :-P
37. Bella-Sweet said:
Aw, I love when you start talking and her face is like "Whoa! Thats my Mom!!"
38. Linn said:
She's so cute. Oh how I miss the days of the snooze button too. Four year old twins that don't sleep through the night here.
39. Amanda said:
She is soo cute. My daughter is about a month younger than Marlo and I love reading your posts to see what stage she'll be moving into next. It's nice to have a heads up!
40. Chriss said:
You will get that snooze button time back eventually but by then you will be wishing they were coming in and bugging you.....
41. Judy said:
Everyday, I understand another of my grandmother's little sayings. Today, it's "Count your blessings!"
42. Jaime said:
Great Post! And how wonderfully rediculous it can be. I'm up at 2am and then 5am every morning with my almost 4 month old baby girl. Wouldn't have it any other way...especially when she flashes that cute little smile.
43. Cat said:
I could eat Mini Frosted Shredded Wheat out of the dimple on her cheek and use the one on her chin as a spoon rest. For when I start eating her arms.
44. Melissa said:
I feel your pain. I don't even remember what sleep feels like anymore... I woke up this morning and my 7 month old son was lying next to me. I don't think I got him in the middle of the night. I remember getting up for our 3am feeding (it used to be 2am too) but I know I put him back in his crib... maybe my hubby brought him to me.
45. momma in the big O said:
wow, #36, my kids are incredible...
and you are just jealous....
GET a LIFE!
46. chiquita said:
Yep, same here, but it's mostly ok. (although dreading the time change.. what extra hour of sleep?) Lately my daughter has been getting up after we put her down and giving us the sign for "eat". nice try, but it's time to sleep!
47. kate said:
how do you get over those EYES?!?
48. Cat said:
It is incredibly awesome. Keep savoring it!
49. Aimee said:
The other day my husband complained to me that he really NEEDS to sleep in.
I just laughed in his face.
Over are those days, I said! We have a 2.5 year old and our second is due in December. We won't be sleeping in until they are teenagers again.
Such is life of parents... someday we'll get to sleep in again, right?
50. Anonymous said:
Darn near every morning, I wake up to find my 6 year old son asleep next to me, in my bed. I treasure those moments because I know they won't last forever. Having kids is just so AWESOME!!!
51. MyHormonesMadeMeDoIt said:
This was an awesome post, give a little to get A LOT.
52. beyond said:
so sweet. and i bet you'll miss those teeny toes up your nostril in a few years...
53. Tracey R said:
If you want to push her schedule back, I actually figured it out on my third child. Seriously. I did this when she was 3 days old, but it should work now.
What you do is have a *good* friend come over (because only a good friend would do this) who is pretty good with kids. Have them come over around 5, and hand them the baby. Put on a Weird Al video, or something that will get everyone laughing. And then have them keep stimulating Marlo to keep her awake, maybe until 7 p.m., or maybe 8 p.m. if you want to be getting up at 8 a.m. instead of 6 or 7.
The key is having a person who is not already really exhausted to do this, because otherwise, the tendency is to just go with the flow and let her do what she's been doing.
In our case, our baby had been born at 5 p.m. and stayed awake until around 7. She slept until 2 a.m., and then woke up and did not want to go back to sleep. She was born at home, so only exhausted hubby and I to deal with her, and I was completely out. So he stayed up with her until she fell back to sleep at 8 or 9 a.m. She slept until noon, was up until 6, and then went to sleep again around 9, repeating the previous night's performance. She was capable of both sleeping for long periods of time, but was just doing it at the wrong times.
After two days of this, neither of us could cope. I have a medical condition that requires I get a certain amount of unbroken sleep. Our first two had slept all night from the first night. When my best friend's husband came over after to work to see her on the third day, my husband asked him if he would mind staying while he ran some errands.
So he stayed for a few hours, and I had the brainstorm of asking him if he'd mind trying to keep her up until 9 or 10 instead of letting her fall asleep at 6. He did. He tickled her when she seemed sleepy (gently), laughed loudly at Weird Al, and did whatever he could to keep her awake as she got crankier and crankier.
That night set a pattern of a sleep schedule she rarely deviates from unless she's sick. She's now almost 5, and while she needs less sleep, we've never had the awful time we did when she was newborn.
54. alice said:
I'm right there with ya - 6AM RIGHT ON THE DOT. The early hour kills me, but as soon as I look down at the adorable face smiling happily up at me, all that frustration dissipates, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
55. Christina said:
Heather, I think Marlo has finally learned to throw those gang signs! At least, that's what I thought that bit at the end with her right hand was...
56. kacy said:
It sounded like she was getting ready to say "mama", i miss those days. My son is just about the same age as Leta, his b-day is Feb 12 and my daughter is 16. She is beautiful just like her sister.
57. Connie said:
Life is good!
58. Jordan @ Salt Sweat Sugar said:
Dear GOD, you have the most adorable child in the entire universe. I honestly don't think she could BE any cuter.
59. AndInOtherNews said:
... another VBA from dooce
60. nora said:
We have three toddlers (1, 2 and 3) and all of them are in a phase of early wake-ups. 4:35am being a new recent record setting time. Thank God for the automatic timer on the coffee pot.
61. pinkbrain said:
Oh to have a baby that sleeps! In desperation last night I was roaming the streets at midnight with He-Who-Does-Not-Sleep in the carrier. Every night I go through a bedtime routine to encourage the sleep and baby throws a grenade through my efforts.
One day I'll get to sleep!
62. Jenny said:
wow. THIS IS MY LIFE! :) really, really tired over here... but enjoying it.
63. Candice said:
That is one expressive cutie! My son is very reserved, so it is fun to see the contrast. My hubby and I always wake up laughing, no matter the hour, we love our baby so...
64. Jen Tullis said:
Ah, Dooce, how I envy you. I have two children, in fact my youngest was born on the same day and year as your Leta. Joshua is 8 and we aren't having anymore. I miss those days where Eric would bring them to me to feed and then we just play in bed until Mommy demanded coffee! Enjoy it!
Marlo is a very cute baby. I showed my husband the "Pantshat" shirt picture and we both laughed because we used to do the same thing with our babies.
Thanks for everything you do.
Jen
65. Angie said:
But isn't is so really amazing? Well said... my day starts at 4:45 and ends at 10:00 pm but I love every minute - yes even the crazy ones! The madness right before I get the 5 yr old on the bus and the 3 yr old ready for preschool all while keeping the 2 yr old happy! Down to the crazy bedtime routine - and my currently 23 month old son that refuses to go into his crib awake and the 3 yr old that just plain refuses to go to sleep period... Oh the wonders of mommyhood!
66. A Southern Accent said:
Love that crater dimple! What a great perspective on life - wow, we really can change as we get older, right?
67. pflower said:
Your PantsHat post pic is so very Grey Gardens.
68. Rebecca said:
It's good but it's bad but it's so good. Ah, the life! And I only have one.
69. Meranath said:
My 5 mo old son is now in love LOL.
70. just beth said:
oh, family WIN!! Yay for all of you guys.
xo
b.
71. Agi said:
I think me and ma' man need to get ourselves one of those! When we set up an alarm clock for 7am to go for a jog, most of the times we just slam the clock, roll over and snore away for another hour. Who would slam a baby..?
72. Lunaticinthehouse said:
With #25...all I can think of is that raspberrielicious belly.
73. Caitlin said:
When did she get so big?!?!! you can really see her starting resemblance to Leta in this :)
74. Megan said:
#67 Your comment has me cracking up! Don't you just love Little Edie?
75. Dani said:
hahaha! This is totally one of those subjects that you've just got to bitch about. As wonderful as a happy, cuddly little family is, if it's all happy and cuddly at dawn's crickety crack like that, YOU'VE GOT FULL BITCHING RIGHTS EVEN AS ENJOYABLE AS IT IS!
Myself, I went through hell sleep-wise with my first daughter and paid my debts to society. She needed to scream for hours in order to fall asleep, whether for nap or bed, and if she woke for even half a second it would start up all over again. But I got rewarded for not shaking her by having a second baby who is now 2 1/2, who plays with my 5 yr old in their room when they wake up. They seriously just play nicely together for several hours until we get up around 7:30. But I did my time!!! I deserve it! I betcha in another year or two, that is exactly where Leta and Marlo will be. You guys will be able to wake up to the sun shining through the window and birds singing and girls giggling in their room, and you'll stretch and go I FREAKING EARNED THIS.
76. The Prima Momma said:
Isn't it a wonderful thing to be so blessed?
Who would have thought you'd actually enjoy getting up at 6 AM one day.
77. Anu said:
Oh!!!! I just want to hold her and kiss her so bad. Maybe my hubby will change his mind and agree to have kids after seeing this video.
78. Meredith said:
Thank you so much for those amusing thoughts. I was sitting here wallowing for a bit, and now I'm restraining myself from literally laughing out loud. I feel better -- of course, soon I'll be enjoying the fun of night feedings with a newborn, so I could use all the amusement I can get at this point.
79. Molly said:
I seriously will not have children until someone with kids tells me they do not wake up until at least 8am. Does that make me selfish? I JUST CAN'T DO IT.
80. Dawn in NC said:
I love that part where you say that it's like Marlo is saying "Please turn on the light and amuse me, slaves!"
It reminds me of the kid in "Wedding Crashers" who says, "Whatever. Make me a BIcycle, CLOWN!"
I feel like Marlo is looking at you just like that kid looked at Vince Vaughn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8eL4GHCDhE
81. Cyn said:
As I also now read your "HATE" section (just to give you more clicks, if anything) I just want to say... All those haters just don't get it. They are jealous (as am I) of your beautiful self, your charming supportive husband, your adorable, precocious kids and your cuddly canine duo. I am insanely jealous of all those things, I wish I had any ONE of them. And I too suffer from depression, and struggle with the daily dullness of spirit that it comes with. I wish I could write like you, had the inner motivation and passion or the balls to do it. But, the fact that I have none of those things, does that make me a hater? NO. Sure I am jealous as all f*** But, I LOVE the fact that you do it. I love the fact that it is possible. I like reading your funny, well written, pithy posts even if they fill me with 40 year old childless, lonely, unsatisfied envy. yes. I envy you. But, I am so happy that a life like yours is possible and that you share your 6 am struggles with us. Oh how I wish I was waking up at 6 am with a house full of happy crazy, instead of just my own solitary sad crazy... Keep going Heather.. I'll keep reading, and maybe one day I'll come out the other side too.
82. Pamela said:
Its so funny your comments bc until the Dr Phil show with the stay home moms vs working moms I didn't know of your blog. This comment of no more snooze is our life too. I look forward to the days of sleeping in again. Whats funny is I stay at home and still feel like I need more sleep! We always end up with at least 1 of 2 kids in our bed. I remember after we had our 1st son and everyone had left from the hospital. My husband and I looked at each other and said, "finally we're alone!" Then we looked at each other and said no were not, both glancing at the crib! Never again! Life as we knew it is no longer.
83. Sara said:
SO true! When do we get to sleep in again? When??
84. Jess F. said:
She needs you awake so she can hypnotize you with her adorable dimple. She knows you'll gladly do her bidding :)
85. Zahra said:
Love the video. Marlo is beyond cute. I have a theory that the baby shirt industry is attempting to train baby girls to star in a Girls Gone Wild video when they are older. Why can't those things stay down? Then again, there's not much out there that is cuter than a baby belly. I think I need to go give my baby a zerbert on her belly right now.
86. WebSavyMom.com said:
-->I hate when I wake up before my son now which means about 6 a.m. but I just lay there and wait because like the sun rising, I know it's coming Soon.
87. Meghan said:
Amen, sister-friend. I haven't had more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep in 10 weeks and I couldn't be happier. (Although 4 hours would be really nice.)
88. Ghanimatrix said:
I have really been enjoying your blog lately. I have been having a really tough time with depression this month, and it is a wonderful feeling to be reminded of the daily wonder that is my child, and my life. Thanks.
P.S. I think Marlo is a wonderful name.
89. kristin k said:
I hate to be a downer....BUT, just think how much WORSE it will be when 6AM is 5AM in about a week. Just saying.
90. Becky said:
Dooce, you know that now that you blogged about it, it's totally going to change. when people ask if my baby is sleeping through the night I always say "she/he sleeps like a baby." All us mommies know that means they are up at all hours. And I didn't jinx it if they really are. Why do people ask that anyways? Are they volunteering for night feedings?
91. KMac said:
Marlo is looking more and more like a big blue-eyed Leta! She's adorable!!
92. Jen @ follow my bliss said:
She is so adorable. And I'm starting to see a real resemblance to Leta, no? You and Jon make beautiful babies. ;)
93. Sue said:
#81-You've just said so well why I read about the Armstrongs. To everyone in that black pit thinking you will never be any way but down, here is proof that it can get better-it's work and a daily struggle but it does get better. Life can be good. And to you, Cyn, I'll say that after battling depression for years (and still work to keep it controlled), I finally married for the first time at 46. And as I said earlier, now I wake up at 6 am surrounded by dogs, cats and my husband and say "Yes. It can be good." Never think that the sun will never shine again.
94. Natballs said:
BEAUTIFUL. Marlo is fucking beautiful. And I love the chaos in your life.
95. Keri said:
Baby tummies are the best! She is such a cutie. Love the yell!
96. GrandRGrand said:
My children are 30, 28 and 27 YEARS old, and I haven’t slept-in for well, 30 years!
ONE, because I am doing a second tour of duty with a five year old who like Leta, has assorted bad dreams also, and a ten year old who insists on using our master-bath toilet at 3:00 A.M., instead of the one that is right outside her bedroom door - eight feet to the left. And TWO, even if I wasn‘t doing a second tour of duty, the tall guy that I’m married to has an alarm clock that goes off at 5:15 every morning. 5:15 A.M!!
Marlo and Leta are beautiful and SO worth not sleeping in for. And laughter. . . Keep that, it’s what keeps you strong and healthy.
#36 - you crack me up, and #79 - YOU will just need a live-in nanny. And ask her to wake you at 8.
97. Amanda said:
OMG, WHOA ... did you really just admit that you let not one but TWO children come into bed with you? YOU MUST BE SATAN INCARNATE!!!
98. Zina said:
Definitely gonna be an early talker, that one is. Or, rather, she already *is* an early talker.
I'm hoping your life-changing catastrophes are well on their way to being healed/resolved.
99. Jenn said:
I LOVE reading about how happy you are now. Sounds like a fabulous life!
100. Chris said:
You're so fortunate that Marlo has a great nighttime routine [you deserve it too!]. I'm glad you're so happy and enjoying your two pretty noodles. Wonderful!
101. pattypie said:
When we had a little one that woke way too early we became garage sale hounds. What else can one do at 6am on a Saturday morning? PS- Twitters follow drewfromTV (it's drew carey)and he will donate 1 dollar per follower up to 1 million dollars for cancer research!
102. Belle said:
Was my boyfriend in bed with you!?????!?!? He always makes those hyena noises in the morning. Excuse him.
103. Jeannie said:
We had a 6-6 girl too for the better part of a year. Didn't matter what kind of trick we employed, she would not give up that schedule.
Daylight savings be damned, she'd be back on the 6-6 within a couple days.
At least we had those nice long evenings :)
104. Caroline said:
When I met you at Third Place Books in Seattle this summer I said that my son was exactly Leta's age but I had since also had a daughter. You asked how two kids was going for me and I said it is wonderful but I can hardly wait for YOU to have yours so you would write about the sheer chaos and intensity of two kids. THIS POST is what I was talking about. Thank you and Congrats!!!
105. Kara said:
I like to think Marla was working on a big shit right then. :)
106. Really? said:
I think #36 needs to get laid.
107. Anna said:
Marlo is super cute! She looks like she is telling you what to do in that video!
Ahh, yes, how I miss sleep too. I do it to myself, I let my son sleep with me most of the time...not good! But soooo precious!
108. Julia said:
I have a six-month old, and I curse not being able to sleep. But then I'll be floating above our bed, watching our little family enjoy a Saturday morning of gold, fuzzy moments of love and pure bliss together, and I'll think that sleep, although a precious, precious commodity, is not as sweet as this.
109. Rose said:
Don't hate me, but my baby slept until 10 AM today. BUT, she didn't go to sleep until midnight, and then woke up at 8 to eat. She is 8 months old and I guess we have it pretty easy. So those of you putting off having children because you need your sleep... you never know what you will get!
She has had early mornings where we're groaning and wishing she would go back to sleep, but even then it is so worth it. So, I know what you mean, dooce.
110. Anonymous said:
Snuggle away, because in 18 years Marlo will be off in college or the Air Force somewhere, and she won't even have time to email you.
111. mynext50.blogspot.com said:
I don't miss the early morning wake up call. Ours was 5:30am - for years! I remember trying to keep my son up later so he would sleep in later. Total opposite occurred. He got up at 5:00 instead of 5:30, so bedtime was moved back to it's original 7:00pm. I think the 7:00 pm bedtime stayed until kindergarten! I loved the all in one bed thing, though. Miss that.
112. superkittn said:
It is quite interesting that she has so many of the same mannerisms of and makes the same faces as Leta!
113. betsy and iya said:
that last paragraph got me. warm goosebumps for the day: check.
114. ellabella said:
i can't get over the splitting images of Leta here. she's adorably cute. it's my life as well - so glorious indeed. btw, Marlo has some of the longest arms i've ever seen!
115. DawnK said:
I know it's hard and I went through a lot of days, wishing I could take a nap, but someone needed to watch the kids, so I didn't, but they grow up way too fast. I miss the times all 4 of us spent snuggled into bed together! They are 17 and 20 now, and don't do that anymore!
Marlo is so cute. It's been a long time since I had a baby that young in my house.
116. cambria Copeland said:
I'd give my right arm for that schedule, but I do hear what you are saying. We need to get tougher as parents!
117. Nicole Johnson said:
Oh how I remember these days! And, I remember a time when my challenging sleeper woke up at 5 or 5:30 a.m., too! Oh and remember how the time is changing in a week? That is gonna be SOOO fun for you! NOT!! When Marlo is older, hopefully you can shift her schedule forward like I did my son's when he was about 8 months old. That was a hard 2 weeks but WORTH EVERY MINUTE when he started sleeping past 6:30 or 7 (late he slept in past 8, even, but we're back to 7-ish). I'd wait a little longer for Marlo, though. When you're ready:
http://www.picknicksbrain.com/waking-too-early
Good luck with "falling back" next weekend on Nov 1st!
118. Forbrukslån said:
This is the funnies thing I`ve read all day! Thank you for making my day with the, "I won't name that someone, other than to say that if there were a prize for best impersonation of a hyena being gutted with a chainsaw, we'd have a winner."
Hahaha!
Really cute kid, btw. :) Did I see some gang signs in there somewhere..? ;)
119. dubiousMa said:
Every. Single. Day. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
120. michele said:
With an almost 3 year old and a 6 month old, this is our lives too. Incredibly early, incredibly draining, wondering if I'll ever feel rested again but yet, we're pretty dang amused and happy. :)
121. Kato said:
Coming from someone who has no interest in having children at the moment, you paint a really lovely picture.
You make having little rugruts sound cozy and full of love :)
I love your blog by the way! I have been following for a while now. I actually started at the beginning with yours.
I won't tell you how long that took me to read.
122. Jessica said:
lol my day as well with my 4.I can't remember the last time I woke up after the sun came up.Ahh the old days.
123. AT's mama said:
Are you really complaining about your baby sleeping from 6pm to 6am, waking up ONLY ONCE?? Good grief.
Well, maybe I'm just jealous, since I'm up every two hours STILL, with my five-month-old. The only way he'll go back to sleep is if I nurse him. In my bed. As soon as I put him in his crib he screams. And he doesn't scream himself to sleep, his stubborn ass just KEEPS SCREAMING!!
Pardon me for being resentful... blame sleep deprivation.
124. victoria said:
hmmmm ... 12 hours minus 10 minutes doesn't sound so bad to me. But then, our hours are 10PM to 530AM around here without child. Plus I don't have a baby yet so I don't really know what I'm talking about.
125. Montyna said:
This was great. Thank you. It seems so bitter-sweet because you know it just lasts a blink, but.....at the end of it, you get grandbabies. Of course you have to live through teenagers to get there. It is worth it. Grandbabies are unimaginably wonderful.
126. Skinnygirl said:
Like #124, our hours were 10 pm to 5:30 WITH our baby, for a long time. So Victoria does know what she's talking about :) 6 to 6 sounds heavenly.
127. Tanna said:
WOW, I'm not the only one that had kids like that! As frustating as losing sleep is I agree the time spent with our little guys is the best.
128. Nikki said:
oh dooce.
that video of marlo just made a brutal day... so much better! and once again you've managed to make my ovaries go crazy. :)
129. Claudia said:
Wow, Marlo is getting so big! And just like her sister, she is absolutely beautiful. I hope Jon owns two shotguns, because he is going to need 'em.
My youngest son chose to wake up every morning at 5 a.m. As no one else in the house was even close to awake, we would go on 6 a.m. walks to Smiths to get milk.
I remember one morning walking and thinking how irritatingly bone-tired I was, and as I looked down at my son's darling face, cooing up at me from the stroller, I heard a little voice say, "Don't begrudge this, woman. Someday your turn will come and he will be taking care of you." Talk about humbling!
130. Kim said:
Love the video. I have 2 girls (5 and 2). Just love them interacting!
I am an early riser, but that is MY TIME. So, we employed a little trick (that actually worked) with our 2.
Bedtime and feeding at 7 or 8 pm. Then, I'd go in and pick her up when I went to bed, usually at 11, and feed her. You know, a little top off. That would buy me an hour at least.
Doesn't sound like Marlo is hungry though. But it might be worth a try!
131. Ellen said:
Looks like Marlo has abandoned that PantsHat and put her pants on properly. ;) Both ways are equally adorable.
132. headacheslayer said:
She is such a darling! I weep at how much I want another baby, between seeing my nephew (1mos) and Marlo.
But then there IS that sleep thing....
Though it just changes, doesn't really get better. Now we're up at 5 am with daughter for HS. Just so you know.
Thank you for sharing your sweetie with us :)
133. Renae said:
Sounds blissful to me. 6am is pretty early though. Not that you'd want to change anything, but if you want Marlo to sleep a little longer a trick that worked for me was those darkening curtains that pin on the back of your existing curtains. My baby started waking almost a full hour later after I used these. PURE AWESOME!
134. Alex said:
Quit your damn complaining, I get up at 5. :) But I have a 9 week old that is sleeping throught the night...woot woot!
135. LynzM said:
All of a sudden, Marlo looks so much more like Leta... in the video and the pants-hat pic. Neat to see. :)
I hear ya on the longing for days of sleeping until you didn't feel like it anymore. Ah well.
136. CJDaily said:
Wow #36, it must be so awful when those guys in ski masks show up at your house and FORCE YOU TO READ DOOCE! The horror! The inhumanity! The perverse cuteness of the baby bellies! It's just too much to handle, I know, so you should probably keep letting your black cloud of hate karma ooze out into the comments section as a way of release. Maybe someday they'll quit forcing you to read this website. Or MAYBE everyone will suddenly decide YOUR opinion is what they come here for, and we'll all stop readin Dooce and Heather will be so distraught she'll take down the website and live in quiet agony forever.
Only then you'll probably have to find another website to trash. Oh, I'm sorry, I mean someone will FORCE you to find another website to trash...
137. Jennifer said:
My son at 5 months was a 6:30pm-5:30am kinda guy. It nearly killed me. 5:30am? Seriously? Totally the middle of the night. So we got together a bin of toys and a flashlight and at first he just played with that flashlight on our bed. Then, as he got older he could play on the floor with the bin. Then as he got even older, I used to worry the neighbours would think we had a burgler cuz he would toddle around our room, flashing the flashlight all over and amuse himself until at least 7-7:30am. And dude, then there was the time change when that 5:30am became 4-4:30am with no changing his internal clock for months. Dead of winter he would be having his morning nap, still when it was dark out at 7am! Good times!So glad you are so happy. You deserve it.
138. Anonymous said:
#136 - my sentiments exactly, but you worded it perfectly!
Marlo is gorgeous Heather, and reading about your life is well, hilarious :)
139. Amanda Tansley said:
I absolutely love reading about baby Marlo and the lovely Miss Leta. And I can't wait until our little baby girl shows up (Mid January) and my life goes topsy turvy too :c)
140. kym b said:
as much as i love cuddling with my little cuties in the morning, i also love that they are 4, 6 & 8 and are now capable of pouring their own cereal (the 8yo does that part) and turning on cartoons on saturday morning so my husband and i can sleep until 9a.
you will again enjoy sleeping in some day.
141. Amy said:
Don't worry! I'm RIGHT there with you -- only my baby does not even give me the 6-2am stretch so F you... But it's such a short thing. Just remember, pretty soon they'll be sullen teens and we'll be trying to get them out of bed by noon with them rolling their eyes and shit. :-) Good luck. I'm glad our kids are pretty much the same age, it makes your site seem even more like it's all just for me! Love ya.
142. Rose said:
I'm sure other people have already mentioned this, but I can see some resemblance between Leta and Marlo!
143. Krismom said:
awww what a sweetheart! ITA she looks just like Leta! :)
there's a big part of me that loves some of the craziness sometimes. and I'll look around at the smattering of toys on the floor and little sweatshirts and shoes around and think "yah. this *is* what I wanted,"
don't worry, the sleep does come back eventually!
~krismom
144. BigMamaCass said:
HAHA!! What a picture you painted! Sounds like lots of fun. She is such a ham! How adorable!!!
145. Halala Mama said:
That is exactly how my son was too - in bed by 6 pm every single night. Now he can stretch it to 7...wow...and people are jealous until I mention that he wakes up at 6 am every single morning! Yikes! The internal alarms that babies have are just amazing.
146. Lawyer Lady said:
I. Love. You.
Serioulsy...
147. the niffer said:
So, so true. It sounds bad, but somehow it's awesome.
Love the Marlo vids - she's such a cutie.
148. Kate said:
"As bad as it might sound..."
What part of this is supposed to sound bad? That you have two, healthy, beautiful kids? That those kids have two, at-home parents who have an assitant? Is it the cute dog that is supposed to make it all sound terrible?
When my kid was getting up at six AM, his father was on deployment with the Marine Corps nor did I have any in-home assitance in working/mothering. Yet I knew my life was good.
I'm sure you know your life is good as well, it's when you try to sell it as sounding bad or some sort of sob story that you sound shallow and/or fake. Your life doesnt' sound bad, Heather, you know that and so do your readers.
149. Holly said:
In our house the pants hat was always know as the "naughty baby hat." Every time she cried my husband put her pants on her head. Sadly, we have lots of pictures of her that way.
150. Terri said:
Seriously, that baby Marlo is SO gorgeous she should be on a bottle. Or in a bottle. (When my grandfather used to get drunk my Nana would say, "Well, (long sigh) Papaw is in the bottle", weird huh?)
Anyway that baby Marlo is the most beautiful of all the beautiful babies. The huge blue eyes. The dimple. I'm beginning to think you've just played around and PhotoShopped a baby.
Yes, maybe you just thought, let's just make up parts of what the majority of people in this country think the ideal American baby should look like and put all the parts together and this is what you came up with.
Baby Marlo. She almost takes my breathe away when I see her.
151. Samantha @ Mama Notes said:
Oh, I know what you mean. I am NOT a morning person. Luckily, I can get my 7 month old to lay with me in bed and nurse back asleep until 730/8ish, but I know soon he wont nurse to sleep anymore. Then I'll be in big trouble!!
152. genevieve said:
I'm utterly amazed at how much Marlo looks like Leta. Sisters to the core! You're a lucky woman, till the boys start knocking on the door for those two, because then, well you won't want all that beauty running rampant in the streets with boys, it could cause traffic jams and stuff.
153. Camera Sleuth said:
As much as I miss my son being tiny and adorable and sweet smelling and nursing, I do not miss those foggy, groggy hours between midnight and six am. I feel bad for you -- and for Jon! But soon enough Marlo will be a big girl just like Leta, and then they'll be plotting and scheming together on how to drive you both nuts!
154. Noelle said:
I love that age...when you know they are SO trying to tell you something! So cute :)
155. hopelds said:
Believe it or not, there will be a late night in your future, when you are waiting for one of your girls (with the key to your vehicle) to get home, that you will long for the early mornings... looking at it from the other angle, I guess.
We love sharing your life - thanks again.
156. Verity said:
I checked on my three girls and then snuck into my office which is next to their room for one last check of the e-mail. Then, of course, 20 minutes later I am reading all these fabulous comments thinking I really need to go to bed. Right then, one of my 4 year old twins wakes up crying with a nose bleed -- and I was right there to help her instead of across the house. Thanks for keeping me up, guys!
157. Angela said:
So freaking cute!!!!!! What a doll!
158. Zoey said:
Thankfully my (now) 18 month old still finds the iphone amusing at 5:30 in the morning. She likes scrolling through facebook and the app store and if I'm lucky I can squeeze an extra half hour - an hour of sleep out of her. Golden. Although she may also call someone, update my facebook or twitter or send someone a text message. All totally worth it for the extra sleep.
159. Anonymous said:
I would kill to get up at 6!! That would be sleeping in for me. Since my son was little we have been battling the 5am wake up and there seems to be no end in sight. Daughter up from 3:45-5 am and right when I got her back to sleep my 2 year old son wakes up. The day is not suppose to start at a quarter to 4! I think I would enjoy motherhood more if I wasn't always so sleep deprived. It is really getting in the way of enjoying my children.
160. Rick said:
Yes, this is a perfect day to start.
161. Rick said:
Yes, this is a perfect day to start.
162. Watch saw 5 online said:
For the folks who actually do miss their snooze buttons, I offer a glimmer of hope:
My kids are now 9 & 6. They still awaken too early, but they now get themselves dressed, brush their teeth, and unload the dishwasher...all while I am in bed hitting my snooze button once or twice. When I hear the pots stop rattling, I get up (much more cheerful than I would otherwise), make them breakfast, pack their lunches, and we all walk to school together. I think this is a lovely postscript to not sleeping through the night more than a handful of times between 2000 & 2006.
(Of course, last night, just to prove me wrong, the 6yo was up three times for various reasons, and they were both up at 6:30 this morning, chattering away loudly enough to awaken me several times. We drove to school today.)
163. Valerie said:
Ah! The dimples! Too precious.
164. Ellen said:
It's the emphatic and wild gesticulation that convinces me!
165. Alexandra R said:
Our 3 1/2 month old is in love with that video of Marlo. Her eyes are glued to the screen, and she has this huge smile and got so excited. Too cute! 6am does suck, but I'd give a kidney for my daughter to sleep that well right now.
166. Jessi said:
Someone wrote "splitting image"...
167. Melinda Love Taylor said:
I know what you mean about missing sleep! Fortunately, my 5 month old doesn't wake up until 7:15. The dogs however....they start whining at 5:30 am!
168. BOSSY said:
That *is* awesome. So is sleeping until 10.
169. Anonymous said:
Every time I read or hear parents talking about children who don't sleep well or wake up insanely early, it makes me shudder. AND realize how lucky I am!
So, if Marlo wakes up that early, does she go down for a morning nap at 7am or 8am? She is adorable~I can also tell how much you love your kids by the tone of your voice when you talk to them. SO sweet! I can totally relate to the feet in your face, but when you're that tired, it's difficult to be awake enough to say no. (& when they get older & are not so snuggly, it's nice to get some extra snuggle time!)
I also think that you (& all of the other parents) are great to get up with the kids & find the positive aspect of it. I did not breast feed & I was naughty & gave my baby a bottle in bed when she awoke before 8am to buy an hour or two of sleep, or just time to wake up, shower, throw in a load of laundry, etc. Morning nap was 1-2 hours later, afternoon nap was 2-3 hours & bedtime was 8pm. It was some method that I read about, and I was lucky enough to have a compliant kid!
Hope you can catch a cat nap!
170. Wendy said:
I know it has been said one gazillion times, but marinade in those moments. My two boys are in high school and college now, and are awesome, but I would give a years salary to go back in time and have even five minutes of that ridiculous, sleep-deprived-everybody-squashed-in-bed-together time. Life at its' very, very best.
171. sarah r. said:
Dimple!
172. Steph said:
I have four boys and with each of them I remember hearing baby crying in the morning and thinking that it's "my damn alarm clock." I'd hit the alarm trying to find the snooze button. Then I'd realize, it's no alarm, it's my baby. And my baby has no snooze button. Wouldn't THAT be awesome?!
173. WarsawMichelle said:
I long, pine, crave, wish and DREAM of sleeping until 6:00. My 7-month-old is up like clockwork at 5:20, and his 3-year-old brother gets up between 5:40 and 5:50. My husband and I have no idea any more what it is to roll over and see the number '6' as the first digit on the clock...the day that happens, I throw a party.
174. Melissa Lehman said:
Wait until next week when your day starts at *5* AM because we're rolling the clocks back....
Used to LOVE that so much. Now with the kiddoes, it's hellacious.
175. Dawn said:
I feel so lucky now that for me it's 7AM!
Dreading the time change next week, on my younger daughter's second birthday, no less.
176. andrea said:
i love how you run to Marlo when she wakes up for her feeding....I remember that feeling when my youngest daughter was born. So in love!
These are the days my dear, they are gone in the blink of an eye, trust that, when you hear it because it's true! That baby girl of mine is 21 now :-)
Marlo is just gorgeous! She looks more like Leta every day! Her eyes are amazingly beautiful!
177. Joanne Kaminski said:
I so miss those days. Marlo is absolutely a beautiful baby and it is fun to watch her. She looks very similar to my children when they were babies.
178. Anonymous said:
I DONT UNDERSTAND Y U HAV2 LOCK THE DOG UP IN A CRATE. AS A VET, I'VE DONE SEVERAL SURGERIES ON ANIMALS, B/C THEIR OWNERS KEEP THEM LOCKED UP. NOT TO MENTION, IT CAN LEAD TO HYPERACTIVITY, MISCHEVIOUS/UNRULY BEHAVIOR, AND ANXIETY PROBLEMS. NOT ALL DOGS, BUT THERE ARE MANY. BETTER TO KEEP THE CRATE DOOR OPEN, AND ATTACH HIM & HIS LEASH ONTO THE CRATE OR SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO IT. LEAVE A DOG PAD ON 1 SIDE OF THE CRATE IF U NEED TO.
179. Mercy said:
6:00 is sleeping in late for me. I'm up at 5 because if I don't do that, exercise will never happen. I consider 5 to 6 working out my "me time."
And I'm not sure why that one sentence starts out with, "Because as bad as it might sound...." It ricochets the tone of the entire essay into the whine zone.
180. AmberStar said:
I can't imagine why you would want to lay around in the bed past 6am, when Marlo might wake up two or maybe 3 minutes earlier than usual. You have a fine family.
181. Stephanie Hinchliff said:
I had to restrain myself watching that video of leaning into the monitor and blowing a giant razzberry on Marlo's soft exposed belly. She IS so great, and although I too miss those days with my kids, it's not bad enough to have a third one.
182. Jackie said:
Recently stumbled across your blog & love it. I have a 2 year old & a 4 week old & am a transplant into SLC. (What a culture shock!) As we're still on the every two hour boob routine with #2, I envy your up once a night routine. Good for you...now wish us luck.
183. Colie said:
I feel for you...my kids have NEVER - EVER - slept past 6:00 am...until this morning when the two year old and 5 year old actually stayed in bed until 8:00 am!!!?? A Christmas miracle!! I was poking the husband in the head with my elbow demanding to know if he slipped them a little cough medicine or something...8:00 am is unheard of...more often the door is booted open at 5:27 am by the two year old telling me she needs to poop or the 5 year old yelling that he needs to be tucked in because apparently his arms stopped working overnight. So on this glorious morn, did I sleep in? Oh no. I was busy hovering over them every 5 minutes to make sure they were breathing! I need help.
PS: Love your blog!
184. Kim Kelley-Wagner said:
Babies are so wonderfully wiggly! Makes you just want to kiss that Buddha Belly!
185. Mandy said:
I would just like to say that 6am would be the bomb! I have a 16 month old who has woken up every morning at 4;30am. You suck. hugs
186. Blupoetres said:
My son had a routine! Then I went back to work, and he had a new routine, and then he started daycare, this routine sucks!! He's now waking up anywhere from 2:30-4:30, staying up to nurse for about an hour, and then my alarm wakes us up at 5am! EEsh!
187. C said:
It's amazing how much Lita and Marlo look alike. I think it's the eyes. It's trippy.So cute
189. Michelle said:
I am so happy for you that you can enjoy having a new baby this time. The time passes so quickly and once it's gone you can't get it back. I try to love every single moment of having my newborn and soak up every mundane minute. Maybe that's why I have so many dang kids. Now that you can love having new babies, please woman, for the love of God, do not keep having babies until you have seven. Cramming nine people in a king sized bed is torture. Pure, anadulterated joyful torture.
190. ma2one said:
Sorry Heather you've been in your work-at-home cocoon for too long! I know the feeling.
Reality check:
6:00am is a normal time to start the day with babies, and routine time to get your day started when you work outside the house and have to get children ready for school.
192. Edgy Mama said:
My 11-year-old still wakes up every morning at 6 a.m. on the dot. I think there must be a 6 a.m. party gene. Luckily, she can take care of herself in the mornings now, though she still occasionally feels the need to slam doors and stomp around to make sure we know she's awake and ready to go.