Dear Great-Nights-Sleep,

I know it’s been over a year since we last met. I too, long for our quiet, restful, dream-filled evenings and mornings together. It isn’t that I don’t want to continue our relationship, oh how I do, it’s just that my life has changed dramatically recently. Don’t worry, it’s changed for the better, however, I fear that we can no longer continue our nightly affair.

You see, about a year ago I found out I was pregnant. Yes, that’s when it began. I was kept awake with a mixture of worry and excitement. Then the heartburn began. As my pregnancy developed I could no longer get comfortable easily. Well, then I had that pesky PE exam, remember those nights of dreaming about taking the exam? No, of course you don’t. Around the time of the PE my bladder seemed to shrink to the size of a thimble and I was up multiple times a night to use the restroom. At Christmastime again I lay awake with anticipation; you see the big day was rapidly approaching.

Ellen was born in February and the difference between night and day didn’t matter. Although she has slept in stretches of a few hours during the night, Ellie hasn’t yet learned the beauty and joy of your visits. She wakes multiple times in the night and requires my attention to feed her or soothe her. I hope that soon she will sleep for longer stretches or through the night. However, I fear that “soon” is a relative term and it will be a while. She is only four months old.

As much as I miss your visits and how happy you make me, I know it will probably be years until we can continue as we used to. As much as I will miss our relationship, Ellen is the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. I will mourn the passing of our relationship and will look to Ellie’s little smile to help me cope without you.

Until we meet again,

Ann