6 am

I never thought I'd ever hear myself say it, but I'm very excited about the fact that Quinn's getting up at 6am. Compared to 5am, it's a huuuuuuuuge improvement. And I'm not even the one who was doing the getting up at that hour - Bec is practically beside herself with glee.

He woke between 6am and 630am 6 days in a row. At first we were concerned he was getting sick, as previously those were the only days he slept more. After a couple days it seemed he wasn't sick, and we dared to hope. It's still not a sure thing - he needed some help getting back to sleep at 5am, eventually getting up at 545 today - but we're hopeful he has turned a corner.

It seems like such a small difference, but it seems not all nighttime hours are created equal in terms of sleep. All three of us are sleeping much better. Bec looks forward to seeing him when he awakes, rather than involuntarily resenting the ungodly hour. Where I was unable to get back to sleep after 5, I seem to be able to after 6, and those two extra hours make a humungous difference for this former night-owl. I can get up at 7, feel much better rested, and much less guilty for not being with Bec and Quinn for that time. Quinn is in much better spirits too, with the extra sleep making him happier, more animated and more resilient through the course of the day.

All this sleep struggle makes me realize how key sleep is to happiness. I have cheated myself of sleep most of my life, oftentimes to my detriment. I won't say that my night-owl tendencies are gone for good, but I do have a more proper appreciation for slumber. Now if we can just imbue Quinn with that thinking before he's 40...