Is anyone else out there a Noise Nazi while your babies are sleeping???
I am a shush-er...I shush everyone who enters my house. I shush my friends, family, husband, the dog, even the delivery people who never even enter the house. That's right...I put a note on the door that says, "Please don't knock...sleeping babies." What a loser, right?
I am also a measurer of decibels. I happen to know every single thing that I do quieter than my husband. This includes, but is not limited to, going up the stairs, shutting off the shower, closing dresser drawers, chewing, talking, cleaning up after dinner, closing the refrigerator, taking things upstairs/downstairs, getting ready for bed, and watching television. This seriously may be our number one reason for divorce! I'm sure I drive him nuts!!!
I do not turn the television up past level 6 (unless there is something wrong with the channel) and I don't really care it other people in the room can't hear it. If it's really a problem, I'll turn the captioning on...yeah...like an old person.
If possible, I wait until the babies are awake to perform the following tasks: empty/fill the dishwasher, vacuum (duh!), put my clothes away, bring things upstairs, cook, take the dog out, and several other things that I cannot recall at the moment.
I know that the fourth step down my stairs creaks and that I need to walk along the side to avoid that creak.
I request a WD40 repair at the slightest hint of a door creaking.
We have started to use the back door when the kids are sleeping b/c we live on a busy street and our stairs are right at the front door. Noise travels up those stairs like no one's business and so, we use the back door!
I really wish I could schedule my neighbor's lawn mowing sessions around the babies' naps! If I knew them better, I would!!!
I freak out if I mistakenly make a "toy" noise when putting their toys away. I am a nutjob about turning their toys off before I touch them and hate the ones that roll around b/c I can never find the switch before the noise is made!
The thing that really bugs me about being a Noise Nazi is that I never used to be like this! I used to love noise. Shit! I love noise now...we are so loud when the kids are awake...it's like Animal House in here and I love it! Before we had the babies, I used to watch Cold Case. I would sit up in my bed (Bill would be downstairs) and scream along with the theme song...yes, I love to be loud! When my sister would come to visit, she'd complain about how loud we were and we'd look at her like she was crazy. We just didn't have any clue what she was talking about! We would play with the dog...yes, the 65 pound dog with long nails...she'd run around like crazy and we thought it was funny. Poor thing...if she so much as ruffs a little bit, she gets shushed and accused of purposefully trying to wake the babies up. Nice, right?
I just need to know...is there anyone else out there like me??? Is anyone else so petrified of their kids waking up early from a nap that they'd like to wrap their home in soundproof material? Does anyone else resist the urge to put a bazooka to cars with muffler issues...on a daily basis?
Ummm...Please Don't Steal My Craziness...Okay? Thanks!
People I Love...follow along if you're so inclined!
9 comments:
this made me laugh, but only because i am so guilty of those same things! not so much @ naptime, but @ bedtime, i am a freak about it. in fact, last night, my hubster was clipping his fingernails and i about lost it. "can't you do that in the morning!? it's echoing through the whole house!" oh yeah, he probably thinks i am nuts, too. but whatever, those babies getting their sleep is so important! for them...and for us.
wow, sounds like a great environment for bill ;) if it makes you feel any better, i did the same thing to jeff when we were babysitting your twins. he was so loud! i would say that if he wakes them up, then he has to get them back to sleep.
I am EXACTLY like this. I tiptoe in my house when the girls are sleeping - being careful not to step in the squeaky spots. My husband and I regularly shush each other if we think the other is being too loud. It's ridiculous! I think we're like this because sleep is such a precious gift with multiples. :-)
I was definitely one the first time around, but by the time Bean came along, it was a futile effort. There is no quieting the beast named Tot!
My brother and SIL are like that. We had a lot of issues when they stayed with us and tried to get their daughter (6 months old at the time) to nap. Didn't work so well. We knew going into this that our little schnauzer had a barking problem that CANNOT be trained away and we refuse to have her vocal cords scraped or whatever they do to them. So we decided early on that our kids would have to get used to sleeping with a lot of noise. For the most part it has worked, but there are random times when the dog goes nuts and wakes one of the babies up and I get PISSED. We do keep a white noise machine in on their room anytime they're sleeping and that helps mask some of the noise.
So I stumbled upon your blog a few weeks ago and recently became a follower because you make me laugh OUT LOUD! I had to leave a comment after reading this because I am the Noise Nazi, too. I do not have multiples, but I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old. I stay at home with them during the day so naps are a MUST. Unfortunately the punk high school kids that live across the street get home while the kids are sleeping. They have their bass in the car up so loud I want to scream at them! Thank God they realized their garage band didn't have a future in the music business. One day I even asked our new neighbor to turn his radio down while he was washing his car. It's hard enough trying to get them to nap at the same time. I need them to nap as much as they need to! My husband thinks I am crazy, too. I mean, how dare he try to get ready for work in the morning? Doesn't he know the girls need to sleep until at least 6:30? I even request that he put his work shoes on in the garage right before he gets in his car. I get mad at him when he reaches into the fridge to grab his lunch and the brown paper bag crinkles loudly. If friends or family come to our house while the girls are sleeping, I request that they text me when they get on our street so I can grab the dog and get ready for when they pull up in our driveway. It's very stressful and I don't feel like I can even get that much done around the house while they are sleeping. I do things like fold laundry or check emails. Even doing the laundry is tough b/c it's on our main floor at the end of the hallway right next to both of their bedrooms.
So, I know exactly how you feel. A lot of our family members give us trouble because of this, but they are not the ones who stay home with them everyday. I depend on their naps for my sanity and I will do anything to keep it quiet around here!
Thanks for making me laugh. Your kids are adorable!
Oh yes, I am definately a Noise Natzi. Possibly a Noise Bitch.
Rebecca, I am DEFINITELY a noise nazi. I would be worse but my hubby tells me the "children need to learn to sleep with our normal noise".... Yes, I do agree but our sleep is so valuable!
LOL!! I am probably just the opposite! I wanted to make sure the kids got used to sleeping through noises - our dogs, the door, the phone, each other's cries, the vacuum even! Life continues on as usual when the kids nap. Thankfully they have been 'pretty good' sleepers - not the greatest, but don't wake too easily if they're tired. Poor Adam doesn't have much choice with the two older ones running around!! lol
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