Two Decades, Plus One Year

Hard to believe that 21 years ago I woke up a married man. Here we are, though, and all the more in love!

The wedding day was perfect. Weather was warm and sunny. Had a special breakfast for out of town guests, and it was a relaxing start to the significant day. Eventually off to the church to walk and pray a bit, then to practice one last time those memorized lines about loving each other through thick and thin, forever and always.

Photos before and after the ceremony. The guests started arriving, the place filled up, the smiles became irrepressible. Dena looked stunning. I was nervous, but only a bit. We stood at the stage as my brother played the trumpet processional. The bride was escorted to us, and the service started. Tom officiated, and his warm, relaxed tones guided us through a most memorable half hour. My cheeks hurt from smiling so long and so intensely. I had every reason to be grinning!

Our vows.
Our rings.
Our kiss.
Our journey begun.

The closing song played, we walked down the aisle, smiling even more and holding hands tightly. So many people came to share our joy! We got to the back door, and she burst into tears of joy (and in so doing also released weeks and months of stress!).

Greeting family and friends. More photos. Sign the license. To the reception, greet more folks and get tired of standing and smiling and shaking hands and thanking people.

Exhausted, we finally changed into our travel clothes, and then scurried out the door. The well wishers cheered, the rice bombarded us. We drove away from the church, unable to fully comprehend all that took place that long and beautiful day.

Thanks to Aunt Patty, we shared a plate of reception food while we made the 90 minute drive to the bed and breakfast, Wise Manor. A very nice place, and the dear woman who ran it was very welcoming as she showed us to our room. She even pointed to a bottle of wine in the frig, if we wished (we didn’t, but it sure was fun to know it was there!).

Goodness, that was 21 years ago. As I wrote this it seemed like just last week.

We have much for which to be thankful!

How Far Can A Dollar Go?

Here's something I find very interesting, and very inspiring. The story is here.

I have a part in the story. Maybe you can too. I hope so!

Happy Thanksgiving.

One Answer

Earplugs. Silicon earplugs are the answer, at least one answer. Why we didn’t think of this solution before, I do not know.

My wife has for some time now used Mack’s Ear Plugs to drown out noise during her nap time. There is much noise to drown out in our home. These are silicon balls that, inserted into the outer ear, effectively reduce external sounds by many decibels. They work very, very well!

When, out of sheer desperation, she put some ear plugs in a few nights ago, she did not her Little Man wake up at all. I did, of course, but that was part of the plan. So, I got up several times that night. She slept like…well, like a dead person. And she was dead to the world, alright. Did not hear the boy, was not even aware of me getting in and out of bed. Ahhhhh, she was refreshed.

I knew I had to try those ear plugs, and soon!

So now we have a routine. We are alternating evenings wearing the ear plugs. At least one of us will get a good night’s rest each night. Last night, she wore the plugs, and Little Man only woke me once, so we both did pretty well. Maybe we're coming out of this difficult season. I certainly hope so.

Anyway, ear plugs, specifically Mack’s Ear Plugs, are an answer. Every parent contending with a little person throughout the night ought to have a good night's sleep, at least occasionally.

Ahhhh.

Sleepless Nights

Today, a parenting thought that many can probably relate to, although I hope not!

Bleary eyed after a rather exhausting night, this morning I grabbed my Bible and took a puzzled look at Psalm 3, verse 5 this morning. “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.” Hmm. I need to meditate on this verse a bit. See what is in here, as I feel like I am missing a point, maybe THE point.

OK, Lord, I understand the “wake again” part well enough. Last night ranked in the bottom third of my “restful evenings” rankings. Every two hours, nearly to the minute, we were awakened by our two year old. Usually he would cry out, and by the sounds he emitted we knew he was not merely stirring, he was awake. One of us would slide out of bed, go into his room and, sure enough, find him sitting up crying at the walls.

Like first-time parents of a newborn, throughout the night we found ourselves drifting off, only to be roused from any semblance of slumber by this poor boy’s tossing and turning.

This is different than a new baby’s schedule. First, Little Man is louder. Second, he is not easily sidetracked and will, sooner rather than later, turn the frustration or disappointment into a full-force rant. Third, eventually he will leave the bed for the floor, or for outside the door. So, “ignore him we cannot,” as Yoda might put it. “Demands attention he does.”

Now, we’re experienced parents. We do have five other children who have passecd through this type of sleepless phase in life. And so, we have put our hard-earned knowledge to work on this matter.

We’ve tried variations in his food intake prior to bedtime. This or that medication, or none at all (we’re told melatonin can help, but it has no appreciable effect upon the nighttime experience). Have him active before bedtime, trying to wear him out. Have him calm before bedtime. All of the routines have been considered, scrutinized, changed, noted. We’ve tried it all, hoping for a difference, only to be awakened throughout the night. Every night. Two months now. We are feeling old…yikes, we are tired!

And the questions keep coming up. What is keeping him from good sleep?

What is awakening him from much needed nighttime rest?

Why can’t Little Man go to bed and stay there on any semblance of a schedule?

Hat are we doing wrong? What can we do differently to help him sleep? To help US sleep?

Why don’t you listen, God, to our prayers for rest?

Well, it is apparent that there are no answers right now, only this little Russian puzzle whom we love dearly. And we do. We’ve worked through any simmering anger at him – he is not trying to get up each night. He is not the enemy. We’ve got to shepherd him through this season, and try to get him to a point of through-the-night sleep and rest. In the meantime, we wait.

We’ll learn the key, sometime soon, I hope. Or perhaps he will simply start sleeping well again on his own.

Until then, sustain me, Oh Lord. Thinking back to that psalm, I am not sure You and I agree about what “sustain” means, but help me accept YOUR definition. For now, please sustain me.