Sleep Schedules

For as long as I have had children, sleep schedules have been the one thing that can always throw me over the edge. Seeing bags under my babies' eyes and having to deal with the fits that come from being overtired are the two most difficult things for me about being a mother.

For awhile, Jacob and Kyle had the best sleep schedule. They went to bed at 8 pm, woke up between 6:30 and 7 am, then took a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Starting soon after they turned four, they gave up that nap, and I feel as though I have been trying to figure out a new schedule ever since. I have been trying to put them to bed at 7 pm to make up for the lost sleep during the day, and that worked at the beginning. However, now they are not going to sleep right away, but not compensating for it in any way. Often they are up until after 8 pm! I know that that doesn't sound late, but the two of them are barely getting 10 hours of sleep each night. Jacob is up by 7 am every morning, and because he and Kyle share a room, Kyle is usually woken up by him as well. At first I was able to say, "We need to take a nap today because we are tired and we have a lot to do tonight." Even this however, is not working anymore, and neither is laying down with either of them.

Zachary had a lot of trouble sleeping in the afternoon until he was 18 months old. Then we put tubes in his ears and he started taking 2 hour naps in the afternoon. Well, here it is, just 18 short months later and he is boycotting naps. On the occasion that he does take a nap, he is up in his bed talking at night until between 9 and 10 pm. To make matters worse, he is up at night 2-4 times a week. Granted he just has to go potty and will go right back to bed, but still, we have to get up with him. I will confess that my hubby has been the one getting up most of the nights. However, some nights he lays in his bed for 45 minutes to and hour before he falls back asleep.

As much as I hate this word, it's the only one that describes the sleeping patterns in our house right now. Our sleep schedules suck!

Every day I find myself just praying that Zachary will take a nap and that Jacob and Kyle will fall asleep at a reasonable hour at night. Other than pray, I don't know what else to do. Maybe some of you seasoned moms out there can help me.

This is an issue that has always been able to bring me to tears. It's not pregnancy hormones, as it happens when I'm not pregnant as much as when I am. There is so much for these beautiful boys to learn and experience in this world and I would hate for them to miss anything because they are too tired and cranky to notice it.

Help!
B