Exhaustion

ex⋅haus⋅tion

Pronunciation [ig-zaws-chuhn]- noun
1. the act or process of exhausting.
2. the state of being exhausted.
3. extreme weakness or fatigue.
4. the total consumption of something: the exhaustion of your vacation benefits for the year.

Really...need I say more?

Since we found out Josh had strep throat on Thursday, Dustin stayed home with the kids on Friday so I could go into work.

By Friday night I was so sick to my stomach and suffering from such severe heart burn that I didn't get more than 3 hours of sleep.

Pop-pop and Joyce came into town (Round #5) on Saturday and because I still haven't found a camera that smacks me up aside the head when the battery is low...I have no pictures.

By Saturday night I was ready to crash but instead...we decided to begin assembling Lauren's "Big Girl Bed" around 8:00 at night. You'd think after the entire remodeling project in the basement we would have learned. After a million problems we finally finished around 10:15, which in "Bricker Project Time" is actually not that bad, I guess.

We moved Lauren into her new bed and she immediately fell back asleep. I went down to check on Josh and he was having issues with his tv. I asked what the heck he was still doing up and he just gave me a blank stare. So I spent the next 20 minutes fixing the satellite problem.

By 11:00 I headed back up to our bedroom and found Dustin snoozing away. I literally fell into bed.

At 11:30 Lauren started screaming. I jumped up, assuming by her scream, that either she had fallen off her new bed and broken her arm or she had fallen off her bed and cracked her head open.

What I found was a little girl pulling on her ears. Yeah, that's a familiar sign to any mother. I gave her some Tylenol and brought her into our room. She'd find a comfy position on my shoulder or cuddle in my arm and fall asleep for about 20 minutes at a time but then wake up crying again.

So by about 4:00 am I'd had about two hours of very uncomfortable and awkward sleep. The next time she woke up I pleaded with Dustin to hold her for awhile. I mean...I HAD taken care of her on my own for almost five hours and let him sleep. So...I thought it was the least he could do. But, no. He had to huff and puff and turn on all the lights in our bedroom because, I guess, if HE can't sleep...then NO ONE'S gonna sleep.

I'm just gonna let you think about that moment in time and imagine what was said. I'll give you a hint...it involved tears and was probably not the image of wedded bliss.

She finally fell back asleep and was up running around like nothing had happened by 6:15. I, however, was barely able to function.

As soon as 8:15 rolled around I asked Dustin to make an appointment for her at the pediatrician's office. I made breakfast for everyone (except myself), gathered the laundry and started a load. I came up to the kitchen and thought I'd make myself a bagel and as Dustin was eating his breakfast he said, "If you're going to make it down to Dr. Anderson's office by 9:40, you'd better get going."

I honestly don't know what saved him from impending death: my belief that murder is wrong or my lack of energy to actually do it.

Needless to say...he ended up taking her. And yes, she had a double ear infection.

By Sunday night I thought everyone would be tired enough to just fall right asleep.

That was very stupid of me.

Lauren had liked sleeping with mom and dad the night before and didn't want a thing to do with her "Big Girl Bed". By about 11:30 she had worn me down and I gave up and let her sleep with us. By 12:30, Dustin got up for work, moved her back to her room and was off to work.

Finally, I had the whole bed to myself and no screaming children. It was glorious.

Yeah...that lasted a whole 10 minutes because right at 1:00 Josh started screaming. I frantically ran downstairs to check on him. Yeah, he was hungry and wondered if he could just get up. Confused, I said, "Uh...have you not slept yet?"

Josh: **blank stare**
Me: God, you look like your father.
Josh: What?
Me: Nevermind. **Looking at his tv and realizing it's still on.**
Me: Have you not fallen asleep yet?
Josh: Um...no?
Me: JOSHUA!
Josh: What? I'm hungry and I was just wondering if I could get up and have some breakfast!
Me: GET UP TO MY ROOM AND GO TO BED!!!
Josh: Okay, mom.

So when my alarm went off at 5:55 this morning my body screamed, "NOOOOOO!!!!!"

I am beyond beat tonight. And since I've started writing this blog Josh has already fallen asleep on the couch next to me. Of course Lauren's wide awake...but I swear she runs off of batteries.

I am really hoping this isn't a sign of what more is to come and that 2009 is not the Chinese Year of the Sleep Deprived.