I must remember how it used to be.
He and I would walk up and down our long driveway, singing, by the hour...in the wee hours.
We would sit in the dark kitchen, trying not to disturb the rest of the slumbering household. I would rock him in a chair, restraining his flailing limbs, and body pushing into extension.
If I had an hour or two of uninterrupted sleep, it was a "good" night. The total time of night-napping was only a few hours in twenty-four. This went on for years.We would sit in the dark kitchen, trying not to disturb the rest of the slumbering household. I would rock him in a chair, restraining his flailing limbs, and body pushing into extension.
God IS my strength! His grace IS sufficient!
Slowly, but surely, this situation has changed. Almost imperceptibly Ethan's sleeping habits have gradually improved. Calcium, melatonin, and occasional chamomile tea and baths infused with lavendar, have helped some. While I still sleep with "one eye open" and spring to his bedside many times a night, most nights we stay in sleepy mode. He is no longer wide awake for hours. And, when he is, he is usually cheerful...rather, in a party mood. I read once (somewhere) that cerebral palsy patients often require less sleep than most folks. This seems to be the case with Ethan, at least. He is often not ready to curl up in his bed until midnight or later. His sleep is restless, as though plagued by dreams. Daytime naps are rare and brief.
Another circumstance for which I am particularly thankful is the absence of seizures. Generally speaking, his 2-3 hour-long sessions of grand mal seizures would typically occur at night. This has not been the case for a good long while! I no longer go to bed with that dark cloud hanging fearfully over us.
All in all, our good nights are better and our bad nights aren't as bad as they used to be.
