'Go the Bleep to Sleep'

Sleep. I love sleep. Back in BC, I would sleep well into the late, late morning. Today, not so much. Since there are just simply not enough hours in the day, I need to be up by 6am and in bed by 11pm. That gives me 7 hours to recharge. However, that wasn't always the case.

My daughter, as a baby, decided that she was not like the zillions of other babies that would nap several times a day and sleep 12 hours at night. Nope. She was always awake and always part of the action. One night in particular is ingrained in my memory. It was close to 2am and my husband and I were just hours away from having to get to our offices. With her bright green eyes she watched as her blood-shot eyed parents tried every trick in the book to lull her to sleep. Eventually, my husband (dressed in his pajamas and sweater) took her for a walk at 3am in our neighborhood in hopes the night air would help. She did fall asleep, but was bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 6am.

I can still feel the desperation and angst that surrounded the act of getting our daughter to bed. I was so envious of those who could place their baby in the crib awake and find that 5 minutes later they would be fast asleep. We tried everything! We sang. We read books. We bathed in her the falsely advertised J&J Lavender soothe to sleep baby wash. It clearly worked on my husband and I, fighting to keep our eyes open, but not on our daughter. Whatever we tried, it was as if she was telling us, "Bring it on rookies!" So when I came across this new book, Go the F**k to Sleep, I had to pre-order it on Amazon.

The cats nestle close to their kittens now.
The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You’re cozy and warm in your bed, my dear
Please go the f**k to sleep

Written by Adam Mansbach, father and fellow lack of sleep sufferer, the book is receiving rave reviews. Written and illustrated like a children's book, this book is clearly meant for parents. I have only been able to read excerpts like the one listed above, but I am almost certain this book will be my fast favorite and future gift idea for all new parents.

And to Adam Mansbach, thank you for putting to paper what so many of us were always thinking.

As for my daughter's sleeping habits today, it seems that we have paid our dues.  At 6 years old, she kisses us goodnight, climbs in bed to read her Ivy and Bean and falls asleep by 9pm. If we'd let her, she will sleep in until 10am unless, of course, it's a weekend or holiday or summer vacation.