Not the best start to the week! – Mummascribbles

As per usual, on the last Sunday of the Christmas holidays, I lay in bed crying. I can remember doing it last year and I did it again this year. I find it ridiculously emotional going back to work after the holidays; it’s even harder than it was going back after my maternity leave. I miss my darling boy so much, he seems to have grown up even more over the past two weeks and it just makes it harder and harder.

I managed to stop crying after lots of cuddles from my other half and then I lay there for ages not being able to sleep. That dreaded Sunday night fear that the alarm wouldn’t go off or something! I must have managed to fall asleep for about 45 minutes before my little darling woke up, the time telling me it was 11.50pm. I went into his room and content to see me, he quietened and laid down asking me to sit on the floor. I’m used to this – it can take a while for him to get back to sleep but he usually manages. Oh no, not last night. He was SO awake he wouldn’t stop talking. After an hour and twenty minutes of me rolling around trying to find a comfy spot on the floor, of me having to stroke his hand, or his back, or his stomach, he still wouldn’t go to sleep. So, I left the room and hearing him crying, the other half came in to take over – Zach still talking. I think he lasted about half an hour before he realised Zach wasn’t going to sleep and so came back to bed to see if he’d soothe himself to sleep. Nope! After a few minutes of him crying we both agreed that the only option was to bring him into bed, something we haven‘t had to do for ages!  So at about 2am we had our completely wide awake son in the middle of us. He rolled over to me saying mummy cuddles. Then he rolled over to the other half saying daddy cuddles. Then he rolled back to me and proceeded to point out and prod mummy’s nose, mummy’s eyes, mummy’s chin. He eventually quietened down and succumbed to sleep and we all nodded off. It must have been 3am by the time we got back to sleep and my alarm went off at 5.45. I felt like absolute crap! I looked even worse. Thank goodness for make up!

Now, this was completely out of character for Zach. The only time we are generally up with him in the night is when he’s poorly which is completely understandable. So I’ve come to the conclusion that either:

a) He knew that we had to get up for work, and wanted to punish us, or

b) He knew that mummy was upset, he knew that mummy needed extra cuddles and he wanted to spend the last of our holiday evening together!

I’d like to think it’s the latter but I have a feeling it was option a!

And so, this morning wasn’t quite the easy morning I’d been hoping for. I was hoping for a lovely happy, well slept child, looking forward to going to see nannie. Instead, ten minutes before we need to leave the house, he looked like this…

Then he slowly woke up and looked like this…

Then he tucked his hands under the side of his head and said Zach go to sleep! The resulting answer of no we need to go to nannie’s made him sad and cuddly. Suddenly it was all, cuddle mummy. I carried him downstairs and he was clinging to me so I didn’t put him down! I had to sit down with him on my lap and attempt to get my long boots on…not easy! We managed to get him out of the house and into the car (still in his pj’s) and he chilled out in the back until we reached my mum’s at which point he perked up and was incredibly happy to see her! He was less happy when we got inside and I took the potty out, he got upset and started pushing it away and I was worried that he’d gone off it, but an update from my mum shortly after I’d got into work told me that he’d already gotten two smiley faces on his chart so he has been using it!

And so, the lovely two weeks I had off, the extra sleep we were getting, have all been ruined by one almost sleepless night. I can’t believe I’m sitting in work feeling just as tired as I did pre-christmas! Not feeling one bit refreshed.

Oh the joys of children!