Up all night

For some reason this week is nightmare/separation anxiety/wide awake at 3 a.m. week in our house.

Last night was the third or fourth [I've lost count] night in a row that I was summoned to Samson's room by the plaintive cries of "Daddy; come a door, pleeese."

Each night it takes a little while to settle him down, but he's back up an hour or so later. So last night, I decided I'd just sleep on the floor next to his crib as a way of helping him stay asleep. As I put him back in his crib, much to his very vocal dismay, I went to get a pillow.

Of course, as I was doing all this, I was telling him what I was doing: "Ok, Sam, I'm going to stay in here with you. I just need to get a pillow. I'll be right back. Don't panic." [When he's really upset now, he'll sometimes say "I'm panicking," which always makes me laugh, not because he's "panicking" but because he's telling me that he's "panicking."]

So I got my pillow, got him settled down, lay down on the floor and closed my eyes only to hear "Daddy: get a blanket." This kid has all the angles covered.

It was actually good advice; I think I would have been cold.

In any event, it worked. He woke a few times during the night, but he didn't get up until 7:25 this morning. So it was totally worth it, but I may need to start going to bed at 8 o'clock to be able to handle this new routine.