Why is it that I could make it on four to five hours of sleep most night when I was in college, but now, when I get five to six hours of broken sleep, I’m dragging?

I think all the years of insomnia and lack of sleep have finally caught up with me.

Little Dude woke Monday night/Tuesday morning at 1:11 am, and was awake between half an hour to an hour – obviously not feeling so well. And with the gaseous noises emanating from the lower half of his body, it was pretty obvious his stomach was the issue.

We cuddled, we rocked, we consoled and we changed his diaper. Finally, after offering him a bottle, he took the bait and went back to sleep. Until 3:30 am.

Once again, he was distressed, but this time he calmed down a little easier and was back to sleep fairly quickly. (Or he never woke and it was all in his sleep – I’m never certain.)

He woke for the morning, around 7:30 am, in kind-of a quiet, over-tired fashion, and by mid-day, we knew something was up.

His little butt was a blazing fire of red, and he screams or cries if it is touched.

At the moment we are using baby oil and cotton at diaper changes, since water or wipes seem to cause further distress. I’ve also reordered more Booty Balm, from LuSa Organics (formerly Queen Bee Soaps), one of the few products which doesn’t seem to sting and actually seems to sooth him. (Great stuff if you want to try it, and works well for chapped skin, too!)

We don’t know what caused the rash this time, but things seem to be settling down for him and he slept beautifully last night, waking with a butt that is only smoldering. (Still upset if you touch it, though.)

Because he slept, it means I slept. For more than six beautiful hours (closer to just over seven!), with only a minor interruption or two – the Hubby getting up to go to work being one of them.

Yes, the Hubby is insane (or devoted) and has been working a full shift during the day, coming home, going to bed between 8-9 pm, and waking just after midnight to head back to work for another full shift, occasionally.

So, maybe I can’t complain about sleep. The Hubby is doing what I did in college and managing to still exist (although I might have a hard time saying he is in a good mood or has a great concentration span after one of these “mega-shifts”), and prior to having Little Dude enter our lives, the Hubby was devoted to getting at least eight hours of sleep a night.

Even with my longer-than-normal night of sleep, I’m still tired, though. And I’m certain the Hubby is about exhausted right now.

I hope and pray Little Dude has another good night of sleep, and that we are able to help his backside down to pre-fire stage. I think we could all use some sleep. Peaceful, non-interrupted sleep.

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