Before I Go To Sleep

I think it’s possible that I haven’t had a good nights sleep in almost exactly 7 years. In a couple of weeks my oldest, Jake, will turn 7. Not only will it be the seventh anniversary of the day I finally got to meet my precious little boy, it will also be the anniversary of the day I stopped sleeping well.

Jake has never been a good sleeper. When he was a baby he had acid reflux which was worse when he was lying down. Add this to your normal nocturnal infant feeding schedule and it makes for two very tired parents. After Jake outgrew the acid reflux he still didn’t sleep well. He gave up his nap completely at 18 months old and to this day wakes up in the middle of the night an crawls into bed with us. I know we could send him back to his own bed but we’re so tired we take the path of least resistance and let him stay.

My little one, Ben, was a much better sleeper as an infant. But now at the age of 4 we are starting to have sleep issues with him. He calls for us multiple times in the middle of the night deal for anything and everything – water, to but his blankets back on, a stuffed animal. I’m putting my thinking cap on as to how to deal with this. I’m leaning towards a sticker chart (earning stickers for sleeping through the night), but I’m open to other ideas.

So, I’ve spent the past few years sleep deprived. I think I may finally be used to it by now. It’s been so long since I’ve had a good nights sleep that I can’t remember what it feels like, but I wouldn’t change my munchkins for the world.

Last night was a tough night – Jake came in to our room at around midnight and Ben was up a lot with a nasty cough. But I can’t blame the boys for my zombie-like state today. I stayed up much later than I should have reading Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson. Christine Lucas has a rare and troubling memory problem. Each night when she goes to sleep, her mind erases her memory, not just of that day, but her whole life with the exception of her childhood. Each morning she wakes up thinking she is a much younger version of herself and has to learn the truth about her life (and the people in it), only to forget again upon falling asleep. The only way for her to survive is to trust those closest to her, but she is beginning to realize that they may not be telling her the whole truth.

I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so good that I finished it in one day. Especially one as long as this (495 pages.) Part of the reason for that is that I have two kids who keep me busy doing other things besides reading. But a large part is because I can't think of a book in recent memory (no pun intended) that was completely un-put-downable(really, that's a word).

Before I Go To Sleep was thrilling and well-written. You know that something is not right and that at least some of the characters are not who or what they seem to be, but you are kept guessing until the very end. Watson writes beautifully making it easy to get lost in the story. This book defines the term "page-turner". Check it out, but only if you know you can sleep in the next day!

How do you get through the day after a night of not-so-great sleep?