66 Degrees + a Boppy

Could YOU ask this guy to move?

Not being able to sleep while pregnant is one of those cliches that I have accepted as a part of life. Truthfully, at this point, seven months in, I've all but forgotten what it's like not to be pregnant, and a large part of that revolves around my sleep, or rather, my inability to sleep.

Since becoming pregnant, I haven't slept more than four hours in a row (with the exception of one time following a literal all-nighter). In fact, I average about two hours at a time. At about the two-hour mark, I either have to use the restroom, am dying of thirst, or have to rearrange myself due to discomfort. It's become part of my life, and as someone who deeply believes that eight-straight-hours-a-night is a necessity, it's been a strange transition in accepting my new schedule. Through trial and error, I've discovered two key factors in getting the maximum amount of sleep these days: 1. It has to be 66 degrees in our house at night (which I know sounds super cold, but I'M HOT), and 2. Pillows are key to comfort. In fact, toward the end of my first trimester, Ryan was so sweet to suggest "one of those pregnancy pillows" he had read about on the internet, and it's been helpful...to some of us in the family.

The Boppy is great, don't get me wrong. It's more comfortable than squishing pillows around and easier to maneuver as well. I wouldn't say that it's been a magic solution, but I'm thankful for its help. (Even now I'm piling up extra pillows to create a sort of nest at night, which helps me to feel like I can actually breathe, since feeling like I'm suffocating when I lay down is an unexpected and terrifying symptom that's recently begun happening.) Looking for more of a rave review? Ask my dogs.

If you've ever hung around our dogs long enough for them to calm down (ahem) and relax, you know that comfort and sleep are their main priorities in life. The first morning after I used the Boppy, I came out of the shower to find Oscar and Olive both cozied up in it, snoozing. Hmmm. Not a big deal in and of itself, but as time has passed, we've had to come to a custody-type agreement on who gets the Boppy when.

The second night with the Boppy, I came out of the bathroom from brushing my teeth to find them, once again, comfortable and arranged for a long night's sleep. How do you explain to a dog that something that looks like a dog bed and is clearly more comfortable than a dog bed isn't a dog bed? And, to be fair, as much as my sleep has been sporadic, so has theirs as they often get up with me each night. It's grown to be a little bit of a problem, especially when I return to bed in the pitch-black-middle-of-the-night and find them (pretending to be) asleep in my Boppy. We tried several solutions: Could they fit in the Boppy with me? (Nope.) Would they be just as comfortable with some extra regular pillows laid out like a Boppy? (They're not dumb enough to fall for that.) Maybe we should buy them a Boppy for the floor? (We're not that crazy.) So we've settled on the days-for-dogs, nights-for-Talie settlement. It's been fairly successful thus far, save for a few gray areas that have occurred as a result of some much cherished daytime naps.

I think we've resolved that once the baby is here I'll relinquish the Boppy to belong to the dogs full-time (since it's getting worn in anyway). After all, it makes them happy, and I figure that it will be a nice, familiar place for them to escape a crying baby--a small sacrifice to make to bring our "first kids" a bit of comfort once we have our "real kid."