Sleep Deprivation

So for the past two weeks LG has taken to waking in the middle of the night. That in itself isn't a problem. But instead of doing what she's supposed to do (go to the bathroom and go back to bed), she calls me, quietly, from her bedroom until I eventually wake up, take her to the bathroom, and attempt to put her back to bed. She frequently pages me again. There are multiple "consequences," as LG likes to say, for this behavior:

1. She's tired the next day. And crabby. She's long given up naps, and still requires 12 hrs of sleep per night. Two nights in a row of such behavior results in a kid who looks like she needs to see a child psychologist; she simply can't control herself.

2. I'm tired. And crabby. And unproductive. I have a history of insomnia; my particular brand generally involves not difficulty falling asleep, but difficulty *returning* to sleep if woken up. Last night I was awake from about 1:00 to 4:00 and then didn't ever fall back to a deep sleep. LG woke, as usual, at 7:00. I've been fighting THE HEADACHE for the past week--it generally shows up every other day, I medicate it, it comes back--and I'm sure this has to do with the sleep stuff, at least in part. Now, I know sleep deprivation goes with motherhood (and I'm actually trying to bring another baby into the house!), but in my experience anyway, major sleep deprivation was not a problem in *infancy*. I wasn't working, LG and I stayed in bed for 10-12 hours each night; I woke to nurse her every two hours and promtply went back to sleep (that's why we co-slept so well!). But being woken to fetch her water or take her to the potty or whatever else she requires...if I'm out of bed using my mouth I simply don't sleep. Last fall this became such a problem that I actually had to go on Ambien to get my sleep schedule re-regulated.

In an effort to get a few more hours of sleep, I Benadryl-ed myself and crawled into bed after dropping LG off at daycare. Didn't fall asleep. So now I'm groggy and sleep deprived, asking myself how I'm going to come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow and comment on 50 pieces of student writing. And take care of chores and return random work emails. And be civil to LG--who went to school in a summer dress and flip flops because I couldn't stand the crying and arguing about appropriate clothing for the season--when I pick her up.

Oy.

Updated to add: Well, I managed to comment on the first assignments for both my classes and took some notes toward a lecture for New Class. I tried (unsuccessfully) to take a nap. I cooked dinner, put LG to bed (tonight's meltdown was about a broken cookie; it lasted a full ten minutes and I had to leave the room as she refused and she is too big for me to lug up a flight of stairs). Thankfully she is down for the night--I only hope it's ALL night--and I'm scrambling to make the assignment sheet for New Class, as my usual prep time will be eaten up by a department meeting tomorrow. Then, sleep...