Note: I wrote this as if it just happened because for me, it did. But by the time you’re reading this, it was the night before. It’s the timing. Read on. You’ll see what I mean. Why did I even mention this? It’s not important. Ignore this bit of grey print.
Good God, tonight was one of THOSE nights in which putting Aiman to bed was harder than trying to stop a stampede. Have you ever tried to stop a stamped?! Neither have I, but it would still have been easier than getting him to sleep!
He was overtired, which is a concept I came to learn about when he was about 6 months old. You see, up until that point it I assumed (silly me) that when babies get tired enough to sleep, they would just go to sleep with some assistance on our part, of course. But in this case, what appears to be logic is illogical.
Apparently babies can be so tired that they go into overdrive and become super!hyper!alert!fussy! Sadly the exclamation points do little justice to Aiman’s overtiredness.
First the kid gets what my husband and I call “drunk on drowsy” in which he’s on the verge of sleeping; he is drunk with drowsiness -in case it wasn’t clear. You know, like, this would be the best time to put him to sleep. IN FACT GET HIM TO BED RIGHT NOW!
If we are ever so unfortunate to pass this brief window of opportunity and he becomes overtired -DUNDUNDUNNNNNNN- then things go downhill for everyone.
Once Aiman is overtired, forget’boutit.
And tonight he was waaaaaay overtired.
He was angry unless he is in the heart of where the action was and that meant he would be his own one-baby-party if he had to. He has his crazy laugh where, out of nowhere, for no reason, he just laughs in a way that makes us feel like he knows something we don’t.
Something only he knows about because he’s been planning for it.
Then he makes all sorts of cute noises and tantilises us with “Momma” and “Dadada”. We ooh and awh at him while suckering into his heart melting two-and-a-half-tooth smile.
All the while he’s still planning.
And we’re still sucker-ing.
Like the calm before the storm, he fully cooperates and enjoys his bath time and story. Usually I like to tease him, just a little bit, with his bottle so that he wants it enough to easily go down for the night. Well, he wasn’t have that shit tonight.
He didn’t care for his bottle at the usual time he wants it and that was the first sign, ladies and gentle man, that something was up. The first cold eerie riffle in the leaves on an otherwise sunny beautiful day. When we tried to lay him down and cuddle him to sleep in the dark, little man began the shrill-scream-cry combination that makes me want to ripe my ears out and then kill an innocent little creature because OMG MAKE IT STOP.
What normally takes us 10, maybe 15, minutes to put him to bed took over an hour and a half. Add in the frustration and overall fatigue I’ve had in the last couple of weeks and I was this close to smashing my head into the wall because at least that why I won’t have to hear the shrill-scream-cry anymore.
You may say “Hey, leave the the baby alone, he’s not tired and doesn’t want to sleep!” And to you I respond “Look. I know my cherub’s sleep and behavioral patterns by now. Kid is tired, but doesn’t know how to sleep. He’s what they call “overtired” right now. This is what it looks like. Take heed and beware.”
As a last and desperate resort I was considering letting him cry for a bit to get it out of his system, but my heart’s too weak for that.
I did, however, try something I haven’t done in months. I used to sing “Rock-A-Bye-Baby” to him and it always worked to calm him down. That is until he was too cool to be lullabied to sleep around 7 months old. But I cleared my throat and began singing underneath the screaming as my husband handed him off to me. His turn was over.
Into the third or forth line of the lullaby, Aiman’s head snapped to attention and his flailing body came to a halt.
What, what is that I hear?
I know that song…
Woman, are you singing me the song of my early infancy?
Good, yes, keep singing.
I can dig this…
And with that he crockedly nestled into his usual place on the left side of my chest and slowly, but surely fell asleep. With lots of rocking and praying and more rocking and praying that this child SLEEPS, OH PLEASE JUST SLEEP ALREADY.
My husband was so thankful that he went out and got me the extra special coffee I like to help me stay up and finish my paper, but that was over three hours ago! HAHAHAHHAHAHAhahaha…ahahah..ha..*crying*
An now? Here I am, ladies and gentlemen, up at 3:16AM telling the story of our overtired (but now sleeping) baby, over fatigued (still awake) mother, and fast sleep (BEEN asleep) father.
Omg, I remember overtiredness. My son wasn’t overtired much because he usually passed out if he was that tired but whenever he was I just wanted to shot myself.
I want to shoot myself every time too.
I can’t wait for this phase to be over!
OMG, I had the worst time trying to get my own husband understand that our hyped-up goofy boy was tired. TIRED.
And for me, it makes perfect sense. I only did a few all-nighters in college, but I remember them distinctly. That weird, bizarre pumped-up, I Can Do This! rush of energy would hit me about 2am. *shudder*
You know, I can take it when I’m overtired, but when it’s a baby… GOODNESS!
Its just a whole different story..
That makes me not want to have children. I don;t that that kind of patience. But glad he finally slept,too bad you didn’t get any rest though.
It’s okay. Not getting much rest will have it’s own revenge sooner or later, but as soon as Aiman sleeps then our world can continue to spin. Otherwise my husband and I suffer greatly.
And overtiredness is a TINY TINY part of motherhood/parenthood. Many more worthwhile aspects of having children. But that shit is crazy-inducing…
My nephew gets like this sometimes and we thought he was just extra hyper until the screaming and crying for no reason started. It kind of makes me not want to have a baby too, because I don’t know if I’d have that sort of patience.