no rest for the weary

Having decided that tantrums at school drop-off were simply not enough to indicate her displeasure in us going to Vegas, Sweet Baby A has decided that she will also protest at bedtime.

Our bedtime routine is simple enough...after the girls get into their PJs, brush their teeth and give good night kisses to each other, John takes E into her room and reads a story (or 6). I take A into her room, where I read her a story, sing her a few verses of her song, and then put her in her crib where she rolls over and goes to sleep. I then head off into E's room and sing her a song (or 6).

Well, the last two nights, A has started screaming bloody murder every time I put her down in her crib. Last night she did not go to bed until 9:30 -- almost a full two hours after I started the process.

E (bless her heart) was very good natured about the whole thing. The first time I went into her room, she looked at me and said,

"A does not sound happy."
"I know," I told her. "Why don't you read a book while I try to get her to go to sleep?"

So she quietly played and read in her room while I ran back into A's room...and came back just as A was starting to get hysterical.

"Mommy...looks like it didn't work that time, either."

I was able to sing E her requesite songs and get her to sleep...and eventually A *did* fall asleep. But at midnight, she woke up and it started again. I tried to send John in after I failed in putting her back to sleep, but she was just screaming "Maaaaaaaaaama!"...so John brought her into bed with us. I was too damn tired to protest.

While A is a much better bedmate than E was (E had to lie on top of me in order to sleep), she is not ideal. She wanted to lie across the bed, on top of the comforter with her face down in it. I could barely sleep as I was sure she was going to suffocate. Then she rolled off the bed. Luckily, she this ellicited no more than a grunt and as soon as I put her back on the bed she was passed out again. Then, she woke up with my alarm clock, not quite getting the whole alarm-snooze-sleep routine I usually use in the morning. So while, she was as happy as a clam this morning, I'm on cup #3 of coffee and praying that tonight goes much better.

Knock on wood...it can't get much worse.