Mr. Sandman Where are you?

I was told that by 6 months old or so my son should be effectively sleeping through the night. Well, Tomorrow is his first birthday and he has already woken up twice...make that three times because he woke up while I was writing this! I really miss sleeping and I want my little one to get sleep too. He wakes up every two or three hours to nurse. I try to get him to go back to sleep, but a baby who is standing up and pulling on the side of his crib isn't going back to sleep easily. I sing, swing, shush, and attempt to swaddle, but he won't have any of it. Sometimes I let him cry his way back to sleep, but it only last for about a half hour before he reawakens more determined than before. The screaming wears on my nerves and the lack of sleep is wearing on my days. Some days I think "This is it. This is my life now. I will never feel rested again, and I will never be fully alert again." I expected to lose sleep when I found out I was pregnant. I expected to be tired, but how long is this suppose to last? I don't get much napping in during the day either because my little ball of energy only takes one nap a day and only for about an hour. I just keep eating to keep my energy up and hope for some miracle every night. Thank the Lord my son went back to sleep while I was writing this. Hopefully he won't wake up again any time soon. I use the word hope very loosely because I am almost out of hope. I am also barely hanging on to the hope of finishing school. My biggest wish right now is to get a whole night of sleep and wake up late. That can be my birthday present, Christmas present, Mother's Day present, and graduation gift. SLEEP! I love even saying the word or thinking it. I am pretty sure I have a song titled sleep running in a loop through my mind. I look at a bed or a couch and my mouth almost waters. Every piece of cushy furniture is like a bad joke. One day my son will appreciate these sacrifices right? If not I hope there is a special reward in heaven for moms. I want a big giant BED!