Sleep Study

So you know how I complain a lot that Michaela never sleeps? And that I swear I am not exaggerating when I say she still gets up EVERY night at least five or six times? Well, folks - I am not crazy! We finally took her in for a sleep study where the dr confirmed to me that normal kids do not wake up more than once a night, and even once a night consistently is not alright. Even going to the bathroom at night every night is not normal! Anyway. I took her in for an actual sleep study. I bribed her with new jammies, and a stuffed animal. She HATED that they put all the sensors on her, and pretty much screamed the entire twenty minutes it took the guy to get them on her. He took her out to the middle area where they watched us sleep and showed her to computer monitors and what they did when she moved or held her breath or anything like that. She thought that was pretty interesting. So we get into bed, and I got her to sleep with my fantastic singing after about ten minutes. I sang all primary songs and held none of my skills back ;) As soon as I drifted off to sleep, the guy came in and said since she was deeply sleeping he was going to put the nose sensor in. I told him he is crazy if he thought she would just stay sleeping and let him do that! He did anyway and duh- she woke up and freaked. It took me another 45 minutes of singing to get her back to sleep with that thing up her nose! This time though, I sang a little Taylor Swift, some Praise to the Man, all the Primary songs I knew and then I even threw in a little Gaga :) Yes, Seriously - Lady Gaga.

Anyway, she woke up her normal amount of times and it took me the normal amount of time to coax her back to sleep. The next morning she screamed again to get the sensors off but was very happy to get her complimenentary chocolate muffin (Me too!) and get the heck out of there! The best/worst part? On the way out, the sleep technician told us to have a great day and told me I had a very wonderful singing voice - because he can hear us all night!!!!!!!!! I didn't think about that!!! I was very careful to sleep modestly because I knew he could see me, but I didn't realize he could hear me singing LADY GAGA!!!!

Our follow up was today and the dr was semi surprised to read that over the coarse of the night she woke herself up 21 times, and at least one or twice of that EACH HOUR was because she was not getting enough oxygen. 21 times folks!!!! The solution? Watch her weight as she gets older so she doesn't become overweight, and wait it out. OR - we could try to wrestle a sleep mask on her each night. He said that they don't even attempt that anymore though because this age group just doesn't cooperate with that. I could have told him that! Anyway, there is a problem, but since she has already had her tonsils and adenoids out, there really isn't anything we can do about it right now. At least I know that I am not crazy! And that locking her in her room which I have never been able to bring myself to do, or punishing her in any other way won't work because there is something clinically wrong. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am not ruining her or bringing this on myself by letting her get away with it. I am so, SO, grateful that I have listened to the Spirit when I felt like she wasn't too spoiled or doing this to be mean. I feel so relieved that I am not guilt ridden today after finding out that it is not her fault she wakes up so frequently. So, blessings is disguise! Tired, bloodshot eyes, impatient disguise, but blessings in disguise nonetheless!! Here are a few pictures. Mostly for my own documentation, they aren't fun to look at because she is sad, but she will want to see them someday.