Sleeping through the night

if you have a newborn, or have had a conversation about a newborn with someone, the likelihood of their sleep patterns has likely come up. You know, the customary "Getting much sleep?" "Are they sleeping through the night?". These conversations take place with the assumption that once they get older you will sleep more. But here's the reality (at least for us), movement out of the newborn stage has not equated to sleep for parents. This occured to me last night at 3 a.m. while I was tending to my four year old's bloody nose.

Sure, I have been up at night with Nora over the past several weeks. But, I have also been up with my other two kids. Elijah has had several bloody noses, bad dreams and necessary trips to the potty. Lillian has screamed so loud you are certain that something traumatic has taken place - only to learn that her dearly loved soother has gone missing.

Now I only have experience as a parent until age four, however, I was also a child once and I do recall that my parents spent many a late night waiting up for me (or at least lying in bed pretending to sleep while they waited for me to come home and try to quietly walk past their room to mine.)

See, what I'm beginning to understand is that I will never sleep through the night again. Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? A distant memory. Not going happen again.

I think I need a nap.