On Wednesday I moved Peter's bed into the playroom. He was thrilled when I asked if he'd like to have his own room. Cooper, on the other hand, was less excited about the idea. He didn't want to be alone. But about thirty seconds after his initial dejection, he perked up and I heard him say to himself as he looked around his newly empty room, "But now I have all this room to run!"
Bedtime came and I separated the kids into their own rooms. Phoebe was the first one asleep, which is how it usually happens. Peter snuck into Cooper's room at one point with the tempting offer of coming and jumping on his bed. Peter is good at suggesting activities that will get someone else in trouble. Cooper made the right choice and just came and told me about it rather than participating in the mayhem himself.
Amazingly, Cooper joined the world of slumber shortly after Phoebe. I was feeling pretty good about this move. Now I just had to wait for Peter to finally succumb to sleep.
I am so naive.
Every time I thought Peter was finally asleep he would wander out of his room with a question or a concern. I finally went downstairs because I was starving and almost dropped the dinner dishes I had been clearing from the table when he startled me from the stairs. It was 10:30 at this point. I'm afraid I was not particularly nice or patient anymore and told him (repeatedly) to go back upstairs and go to sleep. He kept saying no. It wasn't a pretty scene.
Apparently the new freedom brought with it new fears. While I was on the same floor, he could stay in bed. Otherwise, he was too afraid of his closet, his room, I-don't-know-what-else. He asked if he could go back and sleep on the floor of Cooper's room because he was lonely and afraid. A talk with Bryan calmed Peter to the point that we thought he would be able to sleep and he finally stayed in his bed.
When I checked on him at 11:50 (desperate for sleep of my own at this point) he was awake, reading. I'm really not sure what time he went to sleep.
Phoebe woke me up at 6:20 yesterday morning because she had to go to the bathroom, something that didn't require my assistance. In case you're wondering, that's not enough sleep for me. The morning... was rough. And until about 1:30 in the afternoon yesterday, I wandered around in a sleep-deprived haze. I finally plunked Phoebe down on my bed, put Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on my laptop, and fell asleep holding her hand.
I must say, I was a much nicer mom in the afternoon and evening than I had been in the morning.
I am happy to report that last night Peter was asleep by 10:30, a full two hours earlier than the night before. He still wanted to move back into the old room, but he seemed more accepting when I said no.
Maybe tonight he'll shave another two hours off his bedtime. Not likely, but it would be lovely.
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2 comments:
Ugh, I'm sorry! Maybe it will get better?? I didn't realize the playroom was so far removed from the other bedrooms. :-(
I hope you can catch up on your sleep! I spent my whole fourth pregnancy feeling exhausted. Right now my husband's at his wit's end because our six-month-old is not only NOT sleeping through the night, he's up for two-hour stretches when he wakes up. But you know what -- I am less exhausted now than when I was pregnant! Hang in there!!
He's not afraid because of where the room is. In fact, the playroom is right between the other two kid rooms. He's afraid because that's the choice he's made. That might sound kind of unfeeling of me to say, but it's the best way to describe it.
I hope Drew gets the hang of sleeping at night. Does he want to hang out and be social instead of sleep?
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