About 3 weeks ago, Liam started willingly sleeping in his room. He started in his Lightening McQueen toddler bed and then started choosing to sleep in his big boy bed. Things started off well. I would lay with him until he fell asleep. He's a sound sleeper, so sneaking off after he starts snoring is easy. At first, he was sleeping beautifully through the night. But then he started waking up 1, 2,3,4 times a night. I would go comfort him and then return to my bed, where, if I took a Simply Sleep I could probably fall back asleep, but if I didn't, I'm up for hours (like last night for instance when I tried just taking half of a Simply Sleep). Unfortunately, this was beginning to exhaust me, so - just as I started doing with Kyra when she was 3 years old- last night after the first time he cried, I brought him into bed with me where he sleeps soundly through the night.Why is he suddenly waking up several times a night after doing so well the first week? I wonder if it's because I started leaving him with a sitter or his dad a couple times a week to go to physical therapy for my back (another reason why one should not be toting around a 3 year old at my age). Whatever the reason, Kyra's sleep pattern is repeating itself in Liam.
My bed is crowded once again. Kyra comes in between 11:30 and 2:00 and crawls in my bed.
Liam cries or yells for mommy, and I bring him into my bed. Sophie is curled up at the foot of the bed. Yes, it's crowded, and I yearn for an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. I wonder if when I'm 70, and my nest is completely empty, if I will wish once more for Kyra's warm feet that must find some part of me to touch every night or the feel of Liam's little body curled up against me. Probably. But for now, as I get through every day on REM sleep deprivation, I'm seriously thinking that a night at the local Hampton Inn is in order.
