Babies and toddlers sure can get the best of you.....

I'm really having a time of it.  I mean it could be worse...but yikes.  DS is now 3 months old.  About 3 weeks or so ago we started putting him in his crib to sleep.  He was doing fantastic.  Till the last 2 nights.  Last night I was up for about 3 hours in the middle of the night with him and I still dont know exactly what his problem was.  He hasn't eaten during the night for quite a while but I eventually fed him a small bottle and at least the food coma put him out for a while.  This is what it felt like he was doing to me:   Naps haven't been any better.

So that...combined with the energy of a 2 year old.....  And neither will let me nap.  I had just dozed off this afternoon on the couch when DS woke mid nap.  I put him in the swing and he eventually fell back to sleep...but could I?  Noooo!  Of course not!  It was almost time for DD to get up from her nap then anyway. 

So the point of my post:  I'm not sure if it was me or DD; but one of us just started the dishwasher when it was completely empty.

I was in the kitchen the entire time so either I didn't see her doing it or i don't remember doing it.  I remember emptying it... LOL  I'm going to have to start locking it.  And DS has got to go back to sleeping better.  I've been thinking it's growth spurt related.  Ahh the stuff you forget when you are past all this part...  I'm going to cut back my coffee tomorrow in hopes that I can collapse better tomorrow night.  Today I just couldn't.  Praying for a better night!!!

that you manage to get some sleep! You must be utterly exhausted. A lot of us could probably manage to run an empty dishwasher even without the "distractions" of dealing with a baby and a toddler, though. I once managed to put the butter and milk in the dishwasher and the dirty breakfast dishes in the fridge, and I didn't have any distractions other than furry ones. :lol3:

I can't imagine how worn out you must be. I can play with my 8 month old granddaughter for a couple hours and need a nap. If I might make a suggestion, if you know someone you trust and can handle it, hire a sitter for the afternoon and take a good long nap. My daughter and her best friend trade off, and it does them both a world of good. You don't have to go anywhere in case you are needed, and you can get some much needed rest.I hope things get less hectic for you soon.
 

jcat said:

that you manage to get some sleep! You must be utterly exhausted. A lot of us could probably manage to run an empty dishwasher even without the "distractions" of dealing with a baby and a toddler, though. I once managed to put the butter and milk in the dishwasher and the dirty breakfast dishes in the fridge, and I didn't have any distractions other than furry ones.

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I could see me doing something like that.  The cabinet where I keep snack things for DD is right next to the fridge.  I'm always going into the wrong one it seems.  At least there isn't enough room in it to stick the milk.  That would be tragic since replacing it means loading the kids up and going to the store!

krazy kat2 said:

I can't imagine how worn out you must be. I can play with my 8 month old granddaughter for a couple hours and need a nap. If I might make a suggestion, if you know someone you trust and can handle it, hire a sitter for the afternoon and take a good long nap. My daughter and her best friend trade off, and it does them both a world of good. You don't have to go anywhere in case you are needed, and you can get some much needed rest.I hope things get less hectic for you soon.
 

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My Mom usually takes DD on Fridays for a few hours.  Just being down to 1 kid is a help; but not quite like being truly alone for a few hours.  DS only had me up once last night (not sure how long I was awake...longer than him by the time I went back to sleep) or I'd be calling her for some backup today!  It's just hard with her work schedule.  She can't get here till close to DD's nap time.  So that means DD wont want to nap.  But I'm grateful for whatever I can get too!

Quite honestly I don't know how anyone does it! They just take soooo much of your attention, it's impossible to get anything done. for the little guy to sleep through the night.
I have a friend who is exhausted all the time. She has one 3 year old and a 1 year old. Trying to meet the different needs of those two is full time job and then some!

Ohh I feel your pain. My toddlers are 3 & 2 (11 months apart). I still hardly get any sleep. And my 3 year old is pretty much over naptime. I haven't had alone time since she was born! Let alone a good sleep schedule for myself. It's hard, but worth it! Good luck! (:

That's really rough. 

If they were a little farther apart in age, the older one could help. I don't know how you do it, we had just the one kid and that took all I had. I even used to be a teacher, taught Early Childhood Education and then ESL, also worked with children with autism, studied all the behavioral theories etc. and having one daughter was all I could handle.

Beware especially if they are really intelligent, they will REALLY keep you hopping every single year.

I hope you can enjoy your little ones through the exhaustion, forget the housework and play with them. It goes by really fast, and the bigger they get, the bigger the problems are.

In a few years, they will both be in school, and assuming you don't have more kids in the meantime, you will have a wonderful 4-6 hours to yourself each day.   And they are happy to see you when they get home because someone else has been ordering them around all day. But once they hit the teen years, watch out OMG they turn on you! I didn't think it would happen, our daughter has always acted like a teenager   but puberty's a mess. Enjoy this time while they still like you! 

p.s. Don't let a doctor put them on antibiotics before three years old, unless it's life-threatening, please read up on new research on the link between autism and gut bacteria. It looks like scientists have found a cause for autism and you can protect your babies with the knowledge. 

I don't know how you do it.  When I was much younger and unemployed I often took my nieces for the day.  It was tons of fun but I was glad to give then back.