Sleep Schmeep

This kid needs no sleep.  At least, he THINKS he doesn't.  To him, there is just too much to do during the day (and night) to waste time on sleeping.  

So, on the rare occasion he DOES sleep, I decide to bust out my camera and take pictures of this momentous occasion.  

Plus, he looks really cute and angelic sleeping, and I love him so much.

Ironically, when I see him sleeping so sweetly like this, I want to kiss on his cheeks and wake him up, which is ridiculous, because at this point I probably told him to go lay down forty six times.  

 He does EVERYTHING he can to avoid falling asleep.  He reads thirty books. (and leaves them all in his bed)

He gets out all his cars, dumps them in his bed, and leaves them there.

He gets out all the little Batman guys, and the giant batman castle, and piles them all up on the bed, too.

(Are you starting to see a pattern?)

Really, with all that stuff in his bed, it's no wonder he can't fall asleep.  

Some days, I just KNOW he needs a nap. 

You know those days...when there is a lot of whining and crying and pestering people.

On those days, I tell him I'm going to lay with him for a second.  

He doesn't like this, because he knows I'll make him lay still, and if he lays still, he'll fall asleep and THAT is the worst thing he can think of.

The other day, I laid with him and he told me, "Mommy, I don't want you to lay with me."

I said, "You don't want your mommy in here?" (sad face)

He said, "Well, you can stay today.  But I don't want you in here EVERYDAY."

Poor thing, he was so torn.  

He loves me and didn't want me to feel bad, but he really wants to just fart around during nap and not have me in there telling him to shush and lay still.

 It's funny how someone who needs sleep so badly decides to fight it so much.

If only he knew how awesome it is to be four and be TOLD to go lay down everyday.

I wish someone carved out three hours a day for ME to go rest, and then MADE me relax.

Nighttime isn't much better...

He does okay when we're doing a behavior sticker chart.  

One of his "jobs" is always "Go right to bed"

That means he can't complain, or get out of bed and come find us.

When we're NOT doing a sticker chart, things are a lot harder.

He comes wandering out about ten minutes after we've put him down, and stands in the doorway to the living room looking pitiful.

We've tried ignoring him, but he'll literally stand there for forty five minutes. 

Once we acknowledge him, he tries to snuggle on the couch with us....which is hard to say NO to, because we love his snuggles so much, and also because it's sort of fun to just have one kiddo to love on.

With his Daddy, he pulls this one: "Daddy? I just want to watch football with you." which Daddy can't resist because he loves football about as much as he loves the kid, and the idea that he can combine the two send him into a coma of happiness.  (another story entirely)

Once we tell him he HAS TO GO BACK TO BED, he busts out this little trick that ALWAYS works on Mommy.

His little lip quivers and his eyes fill with tears, and he says in this little voice cracking with emotion, 

"Mommy?  When I'm in there alone, I'm very lonely."

and what do I do?

I tell him to go get in our bed, and he skips off happy as can be.

Sigh.

But he's not going to want to love on me forever like this, so I am enjoying these years where he lives under my eyelid.

And enjoy the four hours a week he DOES sleep.