Bedtime, Take One!
We read Cat in the Hat on the sofa, my two angels on either side of me. They both angle for a second story, but I manage to get Ella settled in bed with her book, stuffed dog, Mr. Spot, and a quick rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I lie down with Jack, and after a few minutes the trouble starts.
“Dad, where’s my drink?!”
We always forget the drink of water he takes to bed with him.
“I don’t know Jack, where did you put it?”
“It’s in the kitchen, dad. Go get it!”
“I can’t Jack. I’ll have to walk by Ella and she’ll want me to pick her up.”
“Dad, let’s go get it. Come with me!”
“Jack, you don’t need more to drink. You’ve already peed tonight” (In his jammies, by the way. Trickled down his leg and pooled on the kitchen floor).
“Dad, pleeeaaassse! Come with me!”
“Jack, no, we’ll upset Ella if I go with you and she sees me.”
“Dad, please!!”
“OK, I give up.”
Door creaks open. We step out and walk by Ella’s crib in the hallway (Don’t ask. That’s another story entirely). Ella sees me, begins to cry. She stands up, clutching her book and Mr. Spot.
“Daddy, uppee, uppee.”
Jack and I continue on to the kitchen and get his glass of water. We come back and lie down again. As always, he doesn’t actually take a drink of the water. I try to ignore Ella but she screeches louder. I’m now frustrated and direct my anger at Jack.
“I told you this would happen.”
“I’m sorry dad.”
“I said Ella would call for me if I went out there with you.”
“I’m sorry dad.”
“Well, I’ve got to go soothe her now Jack. I don’t know if I’m coming back to lie down with you.”
“Come back, dad.”
Bedtime, Take Two!
I go into the hall, pick up Ella, and she puts her head on my shoulder. I sing, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, again and try to put her back down. Not good enough. She stands up and thrusts the book at me. I impetuously grab it and toss it back in her crib. I’m having a temper tantrum of my own. She cries even louder and points frantically at the book.
Defeated, I pick her up and carry her to the living room; we sit down on the couch and begin reading the book – The Berenstain Bears, On The Moon.
“Dad,” I hear Jack call from his bedroom. He appears a minute later, and settles down with us on the couch. I guess they were successful in their bid for a second story, after all.
After we finish the book, I take Ella back to bed. She settles easily after winning this brief reprieve from bed. Jack and I head into his bedroom. I lie down with him, hoping he’ll settle quickly and I can go to my own bed.
He wraps his arms around me and says, “I love you dad.”
“I love you too Jack. Go to sleep.”
Twenty minutes later, I get up and leave his room.
Bedtime, Take Three!
So, our hardwood floors creak a lot when you walk on them. In the middle of the night I get up to go to the bathroom, but don’t actually make it there.
I tread lightly, but she wakes up nonetheless. I quickly get back into bed but it’s too late.
“Uppee!” she cries from the crib.
I lie there, hoping she’ll go back to sleep but her cries grow louder. Then Jack wakes up, and walks past Ella’s crib into my bedroom. He climbs up on the bed, and snuggles beside me.
“Go back to bed, Jack,” I say, weakly, because I know all is lost.
Ella is now screaming because she knows Jack is in bed with me.
“UPPEE!”
Exasperated, I get out of bed, and go to her crib.
“Alright, you win!”
I pick her up, take her into the room, and tuck her in with us. She pulls back the covers, sits on the pillow hums the tune to, ABCD. Then she begins to jump up and down, and roll around on the bed.
“Ella’s a good girl, isn’t she dad?”
“Yes, Jack, Ella’s a good girl.”
She eventually exhausts even Jack’s patience. “Jackie, Jackie,” she says, as she jumps near his head.
This goes on for nearly two hours. I settle her down by taking her back to her crib and letting her cry there for 10 minutes. I take her back into our room, and tell her she can stay with us if she lies down and goes to sleep. I have to repeat this strategy twice.
I think we finally fall back asleep around 4 am.
It’s me who needs the drink.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, Mark.
I’m trying to think of something to say other than “I’ve been there,” but…… I’ve been there.
I remember those days, my girls were older, say three and eight. We parents had a double bed but needed a king sized. If Leisa came first, Vavielle would not be far after her. The same held true if Vavielle were first, well she did walk by Leisa room en route. The Daddy never moved from the half of the bed where he had staked claim. The girls and I wrestled for the other half. Most nights saw me trailing one or the other back to Vavielle’s room; she had a twin bed while Leisa was in a crib (don’t ask). That was almost forty years ago. I miss those warm bodies. Grampie and I have seperate beds, queen and king. When the grandsons stay over ( aged 5 and 8) one sleeps with Bumpie and one with Gram. Mornings still find us complaining of being crowded!
Nice story.,.and one I can relate to. Hope you save these memories for the kids when they grow up.