Sleep . . . or not.

We had an earthquake here last night. It was a minor one, significantly less than 3.0, and centered in a neighboring city.

We thought something hit the house at first. But as DH was out walking around the house to look, he met the neighbor doing the same thing.

It was so short that we didn't really think it could have been an earthquake--maybe an exploding water main or something--but we found out this morning that it was actually an earthquake.

Speaking of sleep, I was so tired after several nights of being up until 3 a.m. again that I went to bed at 7. Lying in bed, I read vaccination inserts until they put me to sleep. DH brought the baby in around 8 and then again at 9, and she fell asleep while nursing.

We were both sleeping soundly when DH decided to join us around 11:40. This caught me by surprise, because he's been sleeping in the other room lately so his snoring and early rising won't wake us.

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I had Baby E right in the middle of the bed. Which meant that when DH got into bed he was about 3 inches away from her. He sleeps very soundly and has been known to roll over on top of my (or Baby E's) arm. So I had to wake up and move her.

Although I tried not to wake her, she was roused by being put into her crib. She started crying sleepily, not quite fully awake. After several minutes of patting her belly and holding her hand, I lulled her back to sleep and slowly, quietly eased myself back into our bed.

Then DH decided to roll over. Only, he didn't just roll over. It was more like he picked himself up on his hands and knees and threw his body down in a new position. Since he's a very big guy, and we have a vinyl cover on the mattress, this created quite a racket. Which, of course, woke the baby. Finally I got her settled down again and eased back into bed, warning DH not to move for a while.

At some point, when I was almost asleep, DH decided to snuggle up to me. As you already know, I hate to be touched while I'm trying to sleep. It sends signals to my brain that it's time to be awake. Wide awake.

Then he rolled over and started snoring softly.

The baby started whimpering again, half-asleep. She didn't seem hungry enough to quite wake fully, so I kept thinking she would go back to sleep. Finally, after fussing off and on for a while, she did.

But by then I was wide awake. DH was snoring just a bit--not loudly enough to wake me if I was asleep or very sleepy, but loud enough to keep me awake now that I was already fully awake. After a half-hour or so of lying there attempting to sleep, I got up and had a snack.

By the time I was ready to go back to bed, Baby E was up again, really awake and hungry this time. When I finished feeding her, DH was snoring in earnest--the type of snoring you can probably hear in the next house.

I went to bed in the guest room, where he's been sleeping. Just as I was dozing off, Baby E cried again. DH didn't stir.

So, I went back into our room. DH was no longer snoring, so I laid down on the bed and put Baby E in the bed on the other side of me from DH. We both fell asleep while she was nursing. It was about 3:30 a.m. Baby E and I woke briefly a couple more times, but we just rearranged ourselves and went back to sleep while she ate.

When the older kids woke at 8, DH was tired and groggy, but I had no mercy. I asked him to get up with them. I got up a little while later, when Baby E did.

I guess it's a good thing I went to bed early. Otherwise I would have been even more dead-tired than I am now. As it is, I'm desperately trying to shake myself out of a really grouchy mood. I'm trying not to blame DH for my tiredness. It's not his fault Baby E is such a light sleeper, even with a white noise machine running in the room. And she very well may have woken even without his presence in the room.

I think I really just need to have to have a conversation with God before I try to interact much with DH. That usually helps.

After all, I can't really fault the poor guy for wanting to be near his wife.