Sleepless in Helena

In case one or two of you are wondering.... no, I am not recycling an old picture previously posted on Facebook a few months back.  Oh, no...the nocturnal bandits have struck once again.



the damage

I've not heard one parent say they wish to go back to the sleep patterns of their infant or toddler child, have you??  Let me be the first to say it, then...I long for those days!  Aidan and Andrew had been angels in the sleeping department from the age of nine weeks until two years old.  Down by 8:00 pm, awake around 7:00 am, with a nice nap in between.  Ahhhh......heaven! 

Sleep problems are one of the many FUN things about autism, and are as varied as any other symptom of the disorder.  ASD kids may be unable to go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning or may fall asleep okay, but aren't able to maintain a good night's sleep and are up and down on the hour, and this may vary from day to day or week to week.  Like I said, FUN.

I remember a time early on when Andrew would awaken in the middle of the night, decide it was time to play, and I heard Aidan crying because he had turned on the lights.  Pictured above is the second time the boys went into big brother's vacant room and had a late night game night.  Why didn't I learn the first time and put those board games high in a closet or under lock and key?? 

Now, most nights the boys fall asleep really well, but at some point Aidan will sneak in our bed, and I never know it until I wake up the next morning.  Andrew, however, will often get very close to my face in the dark and say, "good morning, mommy! Can I watch Spongebob?"  A peak at my phone reveals that indeed it is morning, but 3:00 am is not a good time.