Eve slept like Matilda at 4 months, worse than Matilda from 6-8 months (I used to see every single hour in the clock all night), then better for a while, then bad again after a year. From 18 months onward, she was decent - up once in the night if at all. For me, getting ONE 4-hour stretch at night is very important. Peter is terrible right now, since he has a cold, but his basic pattern is up twice between 8 and 5:30, which is manageable for me.

There's a really fine line between "I am so fucking tired" and "I am so sleep-deprived I may quite honestly die." I know it well. The first, you can still laugh (at yourself, at life); the second, it's all about the anxiety and panic and, honestly, fear. JZ, I prescribe an afternoon at a friend's house, spent in the bed sleeping. This weekend. It will help.

I don't want to be a unique flower! Four places have liked me so much they had to pass on my resume, but not enough to hire me themselves. FOUR. That's, like, some sadistic record. At least my primary recruiter got me back into one of them. But that's the one with the complicated social connections. Still, I'd do it.

It's impossible for Jacqueline to worry more. Her brain is at full worry capacity at all times.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to test that theory.

I've actually been comforted by someone telling me it's going to be alright--even if had solid evidence that it wasn't going to get any better.

This situation WILL get better. It may take some time and some juggling and some weeping. But it WILL get better.

Aimee speaks the truth. At least that's what they said when they gave me the Celexa.

That said, a kid not sleeping through the night until he's five is extreme cubed. Matilda came early and she's wee, so she's going to want to eat in the middle of the night for longer (calendar-wise) than most babies her age, but she'll get past it, too.

And Hec and JZ, you'll muddle through this, and things are pretty likely to look and feel better a couple of months from now. Be excellent to each other.

And, yup, Hec and I are both saying nothing here we don't already say to each other. No parenting fouls.

This weekend, Tahoe. With three other grown-ups. I anticipate much sleeping and passing the baby off to them.

My supervisor is trying to groom me for an admin position supporting the cardiac PICU director once my boss retires, a job with all kinds of fancy perks and great money and varied and interesting duties, and I'm gonna have to tell her NO.

Hon, like Steph said, what's the timeframe?

Hec's experiences with Emmett aside (which I realize he's still carrying the psychic battle scars from), it really does get better. Not always sleep-through-the-night better, but usually sleep-most-of-the-night better.

David, just let us comfort JZ, okay? You can do the comforting or whatever at home; we can only do this, so let us!

David, just let us comfort JZ, okay? You can do the comforting or whatever at home; we can only do this, so let us!

Have at.

PS, JZ?

When Lillian was about 6 weeks old, I massively miscalculated something and wound up overdrawn to the tune of $750. I'd also miscalculated how much working from home I could do with a newborn. I was a complete and utter wreck. We raided the 401k and did a lot of juggling just to make it through that several mnoths.

Oh, and a few weeks after that, while I didn't lock Lillian in the car, I DID lock my keys in there somehow, which trapped me inside the house until Paul could get a flexcar and rescue them.

This weekend, Tahoe. With three other grown-ups. I anticipate much sleeping and passing the baby off to them.

JZ, we made a day trip to Indiana to visit my in-laws two weeks ago. We went to lunch, returned to the in-laws house where they promptly sent me upstairs to have a nap while they played with the kids for three hours.

I love the kind of weekends that involve napping. I hope you enjoy it.