Small Change, Big Difference

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things that crossed mind, after I got through all of the jitters and excitement, was "I will never get to sleep in again." I love to sleep. I love to sleep in. In college, I was in bed by 11 pm consistently. I have never pulled an all-nighter. When I stayed up late, I HAD to sleep in or I felt like the world would end. I hate feeling groggy and sleep deprived. All I want is to get my nice eight hours every night, please and thank you.
Having children wrecks all of that. It is up and down for the first few months. The middle of the night feedings were not as horrible as the 5 am wake up calls. I never could get back into a deep sleep after those early morning feedings. By the grace of God, we had the little man sleeping through the night around four months. That was a major blessing. Even though he sleeps all night, he is a not a late sleeper. He wakes up around 6:30 am-7:00 am every morning. The crazy thing is, I actually feel less tired than before I had him.
 I had always read that if you go to bed at roughly the same time and wake up at roughly the same time, that your body would feel less tired. Of course, College Student Joanna brushed that off. Saturdays are for waking up slowly! Then Post-Grad Joanna just continued in her set ways. Netflix binge on a Friday night? Don't mind if I do. However, Parent Joanna is all about getting to bed early and waking up early. That 6:30 am wake up call is no longer a point of dread. I actually am starting to wake up naturally around that time. It gives me a few extra minutes to drink my coffee and still get dressed presentably for work. Getting up early is one those life milestones that signal adulthood. It is so atypical from my past behavior but it has made such a big difference in how I feel. One little thing, waking up at 6:30 am and being ok with that, has completely changed by day. My how the tides have turned.