Episode Zzzzzz
Dear mummy, what is it with sleep? It seems you are always on the eternal quest for it.
More precious than Credit Ingots. More rare than Kenner “Power of the Force” coins. You cannot buy sleep (well a night in a hotel might help) You cannot make it magically appear either by using the force.
Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.
I’m talking about toddler sleep, or more precisely my sleep patterns. I’m probably not as challenging compared to some children out there my age. But here are the gripes my folks have…
I always lead them into a false sense of security. Just when I’m sleeping in a routine from 7pm to 7am for a week suddenly it all goes wrong like the battle on hoth.
The toddler awakens – battles at bedtime.
I don’t know about you but I love playing up at bedtime. I try every trick in the book like Han Solo to delay the inevitable.
More books, more milk and more trips to the Death Potty. They weren’t lying when they said putting a toddler to bed was like putting a drunk friend to bed…the only thing is I don’t pass out. Oh no… In fact quite the opposite.
I’ve been heard singing a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star mash-up with Baa Baa Black Sheep that even DJ Hype would be proud of. Having full blown conversations with my soft plush Stormtrooper, asking about his day and mumbling my way through mine. I’ve even tried a spot of disco dancing on my pillow. But it always leads to the dreaded back rub clearly the force is strong in me as my folks always give in. This is clearly not the sleep I am looking for.
A rod created for her own back, my mummy thought it would be nice to give me the occasional back rub at night (she loves them too) …now it’s every night, during the night and in the mornings!!! And no simple back rub I hasten to add. Only the best for me, I even give my folks instructions on how I like it! “Faster mummy” or “No mummy, up and down!” Sometimes it goes on and on and on…this padawan has become the master over night!
The back rub isn’t the only problem it’s the systematic piercing wails in the middle of the night for “mum-maaaay” or “dad-daaaaay” which jolt my folks out of their comfortable sleep and onto the front line of toddler despair like Luke when he learns Uncle Darth is he father (Daddy has a toddler size Darth Vader who I affectionately call Uncle). Battling the darkness as their eyes adjust to the light and tripping over their own feet like zombie troopers.
Thankfully I go back to sleep after a ‘little’ back rub 😉 However their ears prick up at the slightest of noises and it takes them a bit longer to get back to the land of nod.
My daddy occasionally (in his best Obi-Wan impression) tells me “this IS the sleep you are looking for” but I still persist.
Some nights I sleep right through and my folks wake up in the morning and wonder if it’s still the night-time.
Some nights my folks can be up 3 or 4 times. I don’t come to them, they come to me! I’m too lazy to get up you see 😉
How do your little ones sleep?
My daddy is off to see StarWars – The Force Awakens preview screening tonight (early tomorrow) the question is…will he use the force and coax me back to sleep or will he give in to the dark side and give me my back rub.
The saga will continue….
Love Bella x
