Sleep

I've decided that Keeghan is SO aware of where I am at every second that he even keeps track of me in his sleep. Keeghan goes to bed between 7:00-8:00 every night. The more tired and grumpy he is, the earlier he goes down. For the first few hours he sleeps hard, but then he starts fussing. A lot. It drives me crazy! I have figured out though that he doesn't start fussing until about 15 minutes after I climb into bed and my eye lids get heavy and I'm warm and cozy. Seriously.

I usually go to bed between 11:00 and midnight (don't yell at me, I need my quiet time!) and I thought maybe that was just his fussy time. However, one night I was exhausted and went to bed at 9:00. At 9:20? He was fussing. UGH! Last night? I went to bed at 2:00 (I was up filling necklace orders!). Keeghan slept and slept and slept... not ONE peep... until 2:15. Oh yes, and I was exhausted! He knows. I swear he knows.

So I don't always get up when he fusses. First I lay there, with my eyes shut tight and I think, "PLEASE go back to sleep Keeghan." And I listen. He has different cries... first there's the cry of "I'm really annoyed and can't get comfortable." This is usually resolved on its own within 2 minutes or so and he'll get back to sleep. Then there's the cry of "I lost my paci and can't find it!" This is sometimes resolved on its own if he can manage to open his eyes enough to LOOK for his paci. Finally there's the screaming, ear piercing, trembling cry of "I LOST my TEN pacis in my crib! Someone MUST have stolen them from me and there is NO way I can sleep in this CRUEL world." And THAT is the cry that gets me out of bed, because if I ignore it (and really, there's NO way to ignore it) he only gets louder and sadder and madder. It's not pretty.

SO I tumble out of my bed, out from under my nice warm covers, mumble to myself about how I should go to bed earlier as I trip over the mess on my bedroom floor, and finally open his door. If I've let this episode go on long enough I will find Keeghan either sitting up or standing, staring at me with that accusing glare of "How DARE you not come in here and HELP me! Don't you know I'm just a BABY?!" But if I go in quickly, his eyes are still shut, his face is buried in his blankie and his body wracks with sobs. Drama.

I fumble around the room, looking for one of his million pacis, wondering how in the world he manages to lose all of them at once and WHY can't I find the darn things, when AH HA! Got one! I stick it in his mouth and like a switch, the crying turns off. Then I wonder if just maybe I got played. Oh yes. I am a slave to the paci master. But it's quiet now and my pillow is calling my name, so I cover Keeghan up, stumble back across my bedroom floor, vowing to clean it up in the morning, fall into my warm bed, and warm my feet up on Frank's leg.

Then, just when my heavy eye lids close, my mind stops spinning, and I drift off into dreamland....

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

There are nights that this goes on ALL. NIGHT. LONG. And then he'll fall into a deep sleep around 6:00 just in time for me to have to get up with the other kids. All I have to say about this is that one day, he will be a teenager. He will stay up late and I will get to go in and dump water on his head wake him up bright and early for school. I shall prevail and I will be nice and rested when I do it!