Sleep Deprivation, Isolation, and Depression - Oh My!

I took my kids outside to play on Tuesday afternoon.  It was a busy night - lots of homework - and Princess had girl scouts.  But it was also 65 degrees and sunny!  It is hard to live 1000 miles away from home, but on days like this, when Iowa is blizzarding and Texas is beautiful, it's a little easier.

We live on a pretty busy street, but the neighborhood directly behind us is on a cul-de-sac and, since we know so many friends on that street, we have no qualms whatsoever about heading over there to play.  We bring bikes, scooters, and band-aids because invariably someone gets a boo-boo.  The kids ride their bikes in the street, and the adults watch for cars.  If we see one, we all yell "CAR!" and the kids know to race over to the sidewalk until the car has passed.

My friend, AB's mom, my new neighbor friend, K, and I were all sitting in our strategically placed camping chairs so we could have a good view of our collective eight kids and chat at the same time.  We weren't there long when another mom came walking down the street to join us.

Seeing her brought back a lot of memories.  She was me 6 years ago.  She was walking her 2 1/2 year old daughter around and carrying a 6 month old, and she looked tired even though she was trying her best to not to.  She was smiling and chatting, but I could see it in her eyes.  So, I asked her how her baby was sleeping.

She laughed and said "Not so good."

Her first child had been a perfect sleeper - not unlike Princess.  Princess slept through the night - we are talking 7:00PM-7:30AM - at 2 months old.  The 6-years-younger me and this new mom had both thought that it was because we were doing something right.  BEEP!  Wrong answer!

Along came child #2.  And it really doesn't matter that her second child was a little girl and mine was a little boy.  What mattered is that they were NOT good sleepers at 6 months of age.

6 months may not seem like that long of a time, but if you are not sleeping, it seems like forever!

So we chatted about this and instantly bonded the way moms do.  Motherhood is a sisterhood in and of itself.  And it is my firm belief that if we can help each other through the tough days, we will all be better for it.

She had not been out and about for a few days.

Have you ever been, (not exactly) trapped (but you know what I mean) with a baby and a toddler?  For several days in a row?  I have.  And it isn't pretty. 

When I was that 6-years-younger mom, there were weeks that would go by and I would not get out of the house except when DadOf4 took me out to eat on Friday night.  Yea, dumb I know.  But I was tied to nap schedules and feeding schedules and it was really, really hard to get of out of the house on my own with two kids. Those schedules are really good for the kids, but they are tough on mommies.

I never experienced Baby Blues right after the kids were born.  Or maybe I did and it just didn't last too long.

I did however experience depression and all of the guilt that goes along with it.  How can a new mom possibly be depressed?  She has that precious little baby and I was lucky enough to have a precious little baby and a toddler too.

It is simple math here people. 

Sleep Deprivation + Isolation = Depression.

I am a slow learner, but by baby #4, I finally got it.  It is important to do stuff that is good for me too even if it gets us off schedule and a nap is missed here and there.  Bottles are a good thing.  Pumping is not a sin and neither is formula!

I hope I helped that new mommy.  Knowing that you are not alone and taking isolation out of the equation goes a long way to combat depression.  So does getting sleep but that is not always possible. 

And so, we pushed homework back on a beautiful 65 degree, sunny day here in Texas and Duke skipped his afternoon nap. 

And we are all better for it!

Photostory Friday #1!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Princess and Prince!

Princess took this picture!




Pretty Swimming Hole!

We went swimming at a new swimming hole this morning! We left at 8:00 and got there around 9:00. Then we swam for a couple of hours and had a picnic lunch. What a fun morning!

Busy day with Friends!

Princess is all ready for her playdate in a dress from Aunt Icky!
The kids were a blur of dancing!

AB and Princess - dancing machines!

Time to play Mousetrap!

Princess and AB

AB's Mom and I worked out a great deal today! She watched Princess, Prince, and the Knight while I got groceries gloriously alone! Afterward, I picked up all four kids and they played over here for 4 hours so AB's mom could pack. They are flying out to see all of the grandparents tomorrow. The kids had a fun time playing Dance Party, Mousetrap, and Wii. They were pretty darn cute!

I miss summer!

I miss summer when blogging was easy to get to during the day! Man! Yesterday was filled to the gills with stuff to do. Princess had Jack-O-Lantern Jump Rope contest
yesterday at school. The boys and I headed to the school at 10:15 to watch her jump and then we stayed for lunch.

After coming home for a quick nap, we headed back for Princess's Monster Mash. Basically it was all of the kids and the parents who chose to be there mashed into the cafeteria. It was a mad house but Princess and her friend AB were happy to get a ride home from school.

Princess invited AB over for a play date yesterday. It was fun. The kids played playdough, video games, and then we headed outside for some backyard fun. AB's mom came over for the playing outside part. Then they went home for supper. They came back about an hour later and we all went trick or treating! If I would have been more on the ball I would have ordered pizza and had them stay for supper.