Sleepless nights and unexpected benefits

For the most part, my kids are great thru the night.  Granted, I nurse well into toddler hood and co-sleep, and as a result, even if they were waking up, it wasn't an issue because I'd sleep mostly thru it.  Last night was the exception. 

Marc had gone to the gym, so he wasn't home until after ten.  Jessie has been having trouble falling asleep, so I told her that she could sleep at the foot of our bed.  Sam only falls asleep with snuggles, so he was in there too.  And Julianna was on the other side of me.  Normally, we move at least one or two out of bed, but last night, when Marc came home, I was already asleep, so he just shut the door and tiptoed out to sleep in Sam's room. 

Julianna is cutting some molars, I think, because she woke up at three o'clock.  Now, if she'd woken up and said "Mama, my teeth hurt."  I know I would have been sympathetic.  I'm a good mom.  But she's a toddler, and instead, she woke up, sat up, and hollered happily "PAT PAT!"  Which is code for "Hey, lets watch Little Einsteins!"  At three o'clock, I'm not really into insipid Disney cartoons.  I'm just not.  And by the time I clued into the fact that she was actually rubbing her mouth and crying (due to the fact that I wasn't putting on the television), Sam was awake too.  So I got up.

I brought them both into the kitchen, gave Sam some motrin because he claimed his nose hurt, and changed Julianna and gave her a tylenol suppository (she vomits the oral meds).  We watched an hour of television, then went back into bed, Sam finally drifted off close to four thirty, and Julianna fell asleep about twenty minutes later.  Which would have been great, I could have gotten at least another two hours of sleep - but Marc's alarm clock went off at five. 

I got up, because I missed him.  And I'm so glad I did, because (despite the fact that I'm now so exhausted I could cry but don't have the energy) we got this lovely little interlude when it was just us, and we could talk and discuss and debate and hang out.  I love him so much, and it's easy to sometimes lose sight of that connection.  Not lose it, exactly, but have it fall to the bottom of the list, between homework and dance lessons and teaching Sam his letters and getting Jessie to do her chores and wrestle Julie into the tub - spending quality time with my husband is an incredible luxury.  So today I'm grateful for the sleepless night.  And also grateful for a midday nap :-)