Too. Much. Noise.

Ever feel like you're on sensory overload? It happens to me all the time now as a mom. I think exhaustion has something to do with it, but it's like every kid toy that we have makes noise and has blinking lights. Sometimes all you have to do is walk by a toy and it will light up and start singing. And both my kids make noise and (although they don't have blinking lights) they sure seem to operate on one of two volume levels - loud or louder.

Right now, Sabrina is playing with a toy that spells words and Nathan is playing with a toy that signs the alphabet song. He is also throwing the magnets that fit into Sabrina's toy, making what is surely a satisfactory (to him, anyway) noise every time they hit the floor. Okay, okay, the toys are both educational and I'm all for educational toys, plus Nathan is doing his best to sign the alphabet song, a truly endearing thing since he's only 15 months old and can only warble along incoherently.

But I've been up since 4:45am, which is when Nathan woke up to feed and then never went back to sleep. He will surely take a nap soon because he's tired. I, however, will get no such luck since Sabrina's up and there is much to do around the house. And this all just feels like too much. Too much noise. Too much stimulus. Too much of everything.

So I could use some peace and quiet. But instead, I will get the alphabet song running through my brain like a persistent virus for the next several hours.

Why can't they put some, say, David Gray or Sarah Maclaughan songs in kid toys? Surely the kids wouldn't notice the difference and it might actually contribute to parental sanity. Just a thought. (But save me, god save me, from the muzak crap that seems to be so popular with some parents. Why take a beautiful symphony and turn it all tinny and strange sounding for kids? Just play the actual freaking symphony! It might actually be educational AND inspriational for the kids. How is that bad? I'm just saying.)

And all through the house...

Do you hear that? Do you? It's the sound of quiet. Sssssh. Listen! That, my friends, THAT is a sweet sound. Okay, maybe not as sweet as the sound of my darling daughter saying something funny or my son's precious first words, but still very, very sweet.

Yes, it's true. The kids are in bed and they are asleep. They may even stay that way. Sabrina generally sleeps all the way through these days, unless she happens to need to go potty or can't find her water bottle. And well, Nathan doesn't. Nope, he does not. He's still happily on the "Hey, let's eat every 3 hours" plan.

But me, I'm not so happy about that plan any more. He's almost 15 months. I have always said I'd feed him at night until it was a problem for me. Well, up until now, it hasn't really been a problem. He didn't like to eat solid food and I thought he needed the calories. So I was willing to get up with him at night and feed the little guy. But now he's 15 months and he's eating more solid food. And I'm tired. I've been tired for the past 15 months. It's time for a change.

(OH, I so get what I deserve - Nathan just woke up crying! I went to check on him, and he's back asleep, but god, that's funny. I should learn to keep my mouth shut!!)

Anyway, I'm going to start night weaning him. It's time. I need to sleep. Stay tuned.