The effects of sleep deprivation on a frazzled woman: A comprehensive case study

Ok folks, almost 2 solid months of sleep deprivation are taking their toll. I haven't even had a chance to write Jack's birth story, so you don't yet know how it all went down--let me just tell you that even the night before he was born, I didn't get any sleep, so my last night of decent sleep was Feb. 16.

As a result, my brain is starting to melt and ooze out of my cranial orifices. Case in point: I went to mail a package the other day (Hi, Jen!). The lady at the UPS store asked for my name. I always have to spell both my first and last name because they're both often misspelled. So, I rattled off my first name, spelled it and then rattled off my last name and spelled it as well--as I do every time someone needs to document my name. She asked me to repeat the spelling for my last name and, well....I just couldn't do it. I got this far: J-U-R and then I blanked. I tried 3 times to get it right and couldn't*. She looked at me like, 1. I was stupid or 2. I was an impostor. Finally, I slowed down and got it right. I told her that I had a newborn at home and was existing on about 2 hours of sleep a night. I think she understood. Still, I felt like an idiot.

*Just to clarify, I had not been drinking.

I've noticed also that, due to abbreviated, disjointed sleep these days, I'm having trouble differentiating between dreams and reality. Seriously. I've found myself referencing conversations that I've had, that didn't really happen (except in my dreams) and questioning what's fact and what's fiction on an hourly basis. It's all rather disturbing. The other night, I dreamed that our neighbor was sitting on the other side of our fence, reading a bedtime story to his Rottweiler, Belle. The next day, I caught myself thinking, "How sweet is Terry, reading to his dog?".

I wonder how much longer this can go on?