The mystery of sleep(lessness)

Rhea must be on the verge of something great. I tell myself this to explain her difficulty sleeping these past few nights...trying, as always, to create some sense of reason and predictability in the otherwise lawless land of babydom.

Of course all the trouble began Thursday night...the same Thursday night that I went to see Shannon after the girl was asleep to hang out without the babies, drink wine and inevitably talk all about our babies (to be fair we also talked about many things besides our babies and were relived to know that despite all the time we spend together, we can still find meaningful and interesting things to say to each other). Anyway...I had spent the evening talking about how great a sleeper Rhea was these days...how predictable her schedule had become (I swear I didn't realize those random thunderclaps overhead were directed in my direction) and discussing the next chapter in her sleep story...namely a toddler bed and learning to fall asleep without the nursing crutch.

After a brisk power walk home at the unheard of hour of 10:35 (!!) I sat down to unwind and check out my email when low and behold who came running down the hall sleepsack and all???? I will spare you all the gory details but sleep of all manner has involved lots of tossing and turning, crying, and downright sheer exhaustion ever since.

As usual her Papa and I are racking our brains to try and figure out what the heck is going on. A few ideas tossed around...

Teething? Hot stuffy weather? Increased awareness of the world around her? Teetering on the verge of breaking out into full sentences? Caffeine (from god knows what because I barely have ANY)? Stubborn pain in the ass?? Well that sentiment is reserved for when we are feeling very tired.

I will say that Rhea is changing so much right now...probably more so than at any other point to date. She just seems to be growing up...she clearly understands more and does her best to communicate that understanding...she loves to cuddle and give kisses and will initiate these tender moments all on her own out of the blue...she knows what she wants and will stop at nothing (and I mean nothing) to get it.

I will leave you with a video taken Friday morning (so if you look closely you can see some bags under her eyes) of Rhea "reading". At one point you can hear her barking and while she seems to be pointing at the rabbit that is actually her word for Dog which in her defense is right beside the rabbit on the page.

This video reminds me not to miss the "great" while waiting for the "great" that she is possibly on the verge of...that the sound of her voice so excitedly sharing her story with me will inevitably and rightfully continue to change and grow. What will remain the same however is the perfection of each and every fleeting moment.