There was one in the bed

There was one in the bed

I really hope that I’m not tempting fate by writing this post now.  I really hope that Monkey doesn’t have some six sense and put the kibosh on this new arrangement.  Keep those fingers crossed as there was one in the bed again here.  In fact, there’s been one in the bed since Monkey went back to school.  I’m hoping we’ve finally said goodbye to ‘people standing in his bedroom’ at night.  I’m hoping we’re back to both getting a good, solid night’s sleep.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been lucky, and I was probably due a turn of disturbed nights.  From the week I started Monkey weaning at five months, he’s slept all night.  Between 10-12 hours a night, every night.  The only time that he’s veered from this sleeping pattern is if he’s had a cold.  He’s a man after all, he doesn’t do having a cold very well.  Of course, if he’s poorly we have a disturbed night, but he’s a pretty robust child, and it’s really rather rare for him to be unwell.

So you get used to sleep, lots of sleep.  You get used to the routine and the guarantee, that your child sleeps and sleeps well. I’ve always said you can’t have it all.  Monkey sleeps well, but he struggles in other areas.  Friends children are ahead of the game at school, great socialisers etc, but boy do they suck at sleep.  We totally rock at sleeping. It’s been Monkey’s thing.  He goes to bed fairly easily, apart from when Daddy P is in charge on Sunday evenings.  We read, well ok, I read, and then its lights out.  These days there’s a fair amount of secretive playing going on as soon as I’m back downstairs.  But he’s normally asleep by 8pm and had been sleeping until 6.30-7am most days.  In his own bed.

That was until some point last year.  I’m saying it was about six months ago, but in fairness it might have been longer. Then, all of a sudden, Monkey started waking up, pretty much every single night.  He wasn’t upset or particularly afraid.  But there were people in his room, he knew they weren’t real but they still woke him up with alarming regularity.  I might have to go in to him three, four, five or more times a night.  Trying to get him to go back to sleep.  I know for some, this sleep disturbance is a norm, for me it was a killer.  I wasn’t used to it, I’m getting ever closer to fifty, and I’ve always needed my sleep. Throw in the fact that Daddy P is never around, and every single time it was me getting out of bed, trying to get Monkey back to sleep.

In the end, I did the one thing I said I’d never do.  When Monkey woke up, I suggested he get into bed with me.  If he did, he and therefore I, would go straight back to sleep for the rest of the night.  I didn’t think it would be something that would go on for months.  But it did.  There was one in the bed, but not for long and almost every morning, I’d wake up with my little buddy beside me.

There didn’t seem to be anything particularly worrying him, nothing major going on at school.  It didn’t make any difference if it was a school day, weekend or even a school holiday.  At some point Monkey would wake up seeing people, every night.  He did have a lot of mobiles hanging from his ceiling, I suggested taking them down, in case they were causing the people to appear.  It didn’t change a thing.

So the days and weeks of two in a bed carried on, into months.  I knew that I’d made a problem for myself but it letting Monkey get into bed with me was at least, helping us both to sleep.

There was one in the bed

So that’s how it’s been, right up until Monkey went back to school earlier this month. But then it stopped, just like that.  No warning.  I’d wake up in the morning and there was one in the bed, just me! In fact, most morning’s I’ve actually had to wake Monkey up.  I’ve not mentioned this sudden change in sleeping habits, the sudden disappearance of the people in his room.  I’m hoping it’s permanent, and I’m almost holding my breath as I write this post.  Please, please don’t let me have tempted fate.

Time will tell, but this has been the longest period of undisturbed sleep we’ve had in months.  I’m hoping it’s a new beginning.  I do rather like my sleep!

 

8 thoughts on “There was one in the bed

  1. Yay. Weird that he was seeing things and that kicked it off. We had similar in that he just started when he was 4. Then stopped after a few months, then started again. No reason with N, he just said he liked being close to me when he slept. Similarly at least he slept straight away when he came in.

    But just before Christmas he stopped. Hopefully that’s it for both of them

  2. I hope that things are still going well in terms of sleep. Give it time and you’ll soon find out x

  3. I must admit I would have been rather freaked out by the people in the room comment. I doubt I would have gone in the room in the dark. I totally get how you feel about sleep too. Darren was the one that did the night feeds, I do not wake up from sleep well. He also is the one that deals with Ethan. When it’s my four night Ethan shift you know I haven’t had much sleep lol. I’m keeping everything crossed for you that the co-sleeping has stopped. Don’t tell anyone but I’m looking forward to that part with Little E.

    Thanks for linking up with Small Steps Amazing Achievements :0)
    x

  4. How very strange that it’s resolved itself! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you. It must be very hard being woken several times a night. It’s totally understandable that you would let him go into bed with your.
    Like you, once my kids are asleep, they stay asleep (although getting them to go to sleep is a challenge!).

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