Really people – take it from me. Those early years full of chubby cheeked goodness and harrowing days of endless crying jags whoosh right by. The next thing you know your baby is graduating from high school. She may even graduate from a school that has a long standing tradition of putting on an all night sober graduation party and if you are like me you will be right in there making things happen and then keeping your eye on them all night. And then you get to clean up the mess in the morning as your little darling falls into a sleep deprived coma – a luxury you have to postpone for a couple more hours.
And thus it has come to pass that I am functioning on 4 hours of sleep Thursday night followed by 2 hours of sleep Friday night. I’m exhausted but thrilled. No wait – I’m exhausted and teetering on the brink of depression as my nest empties. No wait – I’m just tired, really tired. For today THE PLAN is to get some sleep and then run 10 miles and then go to another crazy party.
Drink in every second of the halcyon days of early childhood because before you know it your kids will have you up all night tripping the light fantastic. The only thing that changes is your ability to endure sleep deprivation. It fades away. G’night.
21st-century-mom.com 
Rest well as you have done a Fantastic Job! Congratulations to your GRAD.
You are making me CRY! Congrats. It’s all good. You should be proud.
Oh yes, I can feel your pain! (Or lack of sleep!) My kid is now in college and thinks that she can stay out until 2 or 3 in the A.M.-and of course there is really nothing I can do since she has to live at home right now…so I am up periodically at night checking, and checking again!Congrats to you grauduate! It goes so fast doesn’t it?
Will they still be opening paint cans and smearing paint over the walls, carpet and hardwood floors when they are in high school? Ha, Ha. I know…I was talking to a mom that has teenagers and complaining that all I do is run around like crazy b/c of my 2 year old and that she is so lucky…then I got an earful of how much harder the teen years are and to enjoy my little ones. I do I do.
Congrats! Enjoy your well-earned sleep session!
Very very good job. Congrats. The prize? The sleep session of course!
This really tugged at my heart.Tonight my 5 yo said, “Mom, I think when I’m grown up, I’ll still live with you.”My heart sang until I realized I may have to realize different one day.Thanks for sharing this.
Great post, 21CM, and consider me warned (although I’m nearly there myself with my only baby turning 16 this fall).