In the meantime,I have abandoned my own bed, complete with husband and happily snoring pugs to be near mom in the night. I am grateful to have a new twin bed complete with new bedding and pillows, at the foot of mom's bed in her snug room. Mom needs help in the night and better I be there in person that try to listen over the baby monitor or relentlessly check our Nest camera.
But I'm pretty tired. All the time. Reflect if you will on the sleepless nights after you had kids. Now add 30 years.
Here's our night last night.
7:00 pm Mom wants to go to sleep. I help her change into her nightgown, we pray together and I tuck her in.
7:15 pm Head to den to start bookclub book.
7:16 pm Attempt to bring up nest camera feed so I can watch mom. Phone is flashing error messages about bluetooth which essentially makes my Android phone useless. I reboot. I reboot again. I give up and bring up the Nest Camera on my laptop, perching it beside me on the couch. Mom is sleeping well.
7:18 pm Begin to read.
7:25 pm Earle takes out the dogs when he opens the front door, a small wren is perched on the wreath and she flutters into our house.
7:26 pm Armed with brooms, we dash about the house, searching for the wren, shutting doors, and turning out lights.
7:36 pm Bird has been flushed towards the door but is on the top of the chandelier in the foyer.
7:37 pm Earle extends a duster and is able to redirect the wren towards the door. In the meantime, the pugs stand stupefied watching the show.
7:38 pm SUCCESS! Bird exits via front door. Mom never wakes up.
7:39 pm Prepare for bed: nasal rinse, steroid inhalation and salt water rinse, floss and brush, moisturizer. I realize my head takes much maintenance.
8:00 pm Get in my own bed with Earle and my pugs. Pugs demand nighty treats and I accommodate them. Attempt to bring up Nest camera on phone again and am exasperated by my inability. Earle asks to see it and temporarily gets the flashing to stop and brings up camera. After hearing me complain about bluetooth for weeks and then this flashing that started after the last system upgrade a few days ago, he is done. "Decide by tomorrow whether you want Apple or Android. My mind whirls. Which one?
8:05 pm With phone in lap displaying camera trained on mom we watch recording of Murphy Brown. I laugh uproariously.
8:30 pm With phone in lap displaying camera trained on mom we watch recording of Will and Grace. Funny, but bittersweet.
9:00 pm Bid my husband, dogs and bed good night. Grab extra blanket from linen closet for my bed downstairs, since I've been chilly lately.
9:05 pm Crawl into bed in mom's room. Still thinking about phone format. Phone cooperates long enough for me to post on FB asking for android vs iphone experience. Does phone know it is helping me plan it's own demise?
9:06 pm Text sons to get their input. Text them I am going to get them this for Christmas. Wonder why it was promoted to me on FB? https://www.amazon.com/Finger-Hands-Assorted-Color-Bulk/dp/B07BYVW74M/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542468487&sr=8-2-spe
9:15 pm Scour the internet for android vs iphone articles. Realize I need to go to sleep before mom wakes up.
9:16 pm Start reading book #3 in the Lady Sherlock series on my ipad.
9:30 pm Decide not to push my luck and stop reading. Attempt sleep.
9:45 pm Mom up, needs bathroom. Distinctly hear strange voices in den. Get burst of adrenaline. Realize it is my voice (I'm very hoarse with a cold) on my laptop. Close laptop en route to visiting the other bathroom. Door partially closed from earlier bird episode. The muted light casts my shadow on the open door. It looks like a person. Again, still spooked from before, I gasp. I check my fitbit and my heart rate is 104.
10:00 pm Back to bed. Practice deep breathing exercises to lower heart rate.
10:45 pm Mom up, needs bathroom.
10:55 pm Back to bed. Wonder whether to sit up until mom definitely asleep or go back to sleep to be awakened again. I distract myself with FB, and hear from younger son about phone ("would be my funeral") and proposed Christmas gift ("would be satisfactory").
11:15 pm Back to sleep. Toasty under second blanket.
11: 45 pm I need the bathroom. I sit up straight in bed but with squishy mattress topper and additional blankets I pull a stomach muscle. (Yes, that's a thing.)
11:50 pm Back from bathroom. Gently edge myself into bed. Scour internet to convince myself I have not done myself permanent harm. To distract myself I imagine what will happen next in the novel I am writing for National Novel Writing Month. Satisfied, I go back to sleep.
12:15 am Mom up, needs bathroom
12:30 am Back to bed. Abdominal muscle still sore. Realize I can't remember any of the plot developments I had imagined for my book.
12:45 am Get a drink of water from my metal Tervis Tumbler, but overreach in replacing it on my small bedside table. It drops to the floor with a tremendous clatter, lid flying off and ice scattering. It wakes mom, and I use the flashlight feature of my phone to fetch a towel and mop up water and ice.
3:20 am Mom up, needs bathroom. Meet Earle in kitchen when I come for water. The pugs were up, needed bathroom.
5:30 am Mom up, needs bathroom. I am not sure I am even awake.
7: 15 am It is light. It is morning. I am tired. Mom says cheerfully, "Well, I had a good sleep!"
7:16 am See text from older son. He tells me (facetiously) that this is the phone I should get. https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/11/15/palm-phone-review-tiny-tragedy/
7:17 am My phone starts throwing up "Bluetooth has stopped working" messages.
7:18 am I laugh. I reflect on the church sign I told a friend about yesterday. It said simply "Everything is absolutely all right."
7:18 am And it is. Amen and Amen.
