My son has never been a fabulous sleeper. When he was an infant, he slept best held in someone’s arms, or riding in the car. It took us quite a while to transition him to his crib, and to get
My son has never been a fabulous sleeper.
When he was an infant, he slept best held in someone’s arms, or riding in the car. It took us quite a while to transition him to his crib, and to get him to stay sleeping once in there.
He’s been in a toddler bed for a while, but he still wakes up with regularity. But at 3 years old, he’s developed a much wider range of ways to let us know he’s up.
The grasp
On nights when he has trouble falling asleep, I’ll lay down with him.
“Can you snuggle me?” he says, putting his hand on my cheek. I put my hand on his side and we touch our foreheads together. After he drifts off, I ease myself out of the bed. But when he’s having a lot of trouble, he’s very sensitive to my leaving.
He presses my head back to the pillow, and says “Don’t go.”
His eyes never open.
The sneak attack
On silent stocking feet, he gets out of his bed. He eases open the door and quietly walks down the hall and into our room.
He stands there, his face level with mine and waits. He waits and waits, until some strange sixth sense kicks in and I open my eyes to his blue ones staring at me.
It’s a little creepy.
The startle
This is a not-so-subtle variation of the sneak attack. He creeps in, gets close and hollers “Boo!”
I bolt awake, heart pounding and gasping.
He thinks this is very funny. I do not agree.
The tackle
Usually employed against a parent silly enough to have fallen asleep on the couch, in this method he runs, leaps into the air and crash-lands on whatever body part is most convenient. Thankfully, this usually comes during an afternoon nap, or the morning after a late-night bout of insomnia.
The wail
From inside his room, the sound starts. First, it’s quiet. Then, like a tornado siren, it gets louder. And louder, and louder, and louder, until it’s like the house reverberates with this unsettling cry.
Often, I find he hasn’t even woken up at all – he’s just wailing in his sleep. Usually, a gentle touch on his face, or holding his hand quiets him, and he’s back.
The stumble
My favorite wake-up routine.
This involves me being up before him and the little guy opening his bedroom door and sleep-stumbling down the hall and into the living room. He’s usually dragging his Lightning McQueen blanket behind him and clutching Doggie in the same hand he’s using to rub his eyes.
As soon as he sees me, out comes a perfectly pronounced and articulate “good morning,” with a sweet little lilt in his voice. When I ask for a kiss, he says “Oh, sure.” Then, it’s “Can I play?” and he’s off.
• Mommy Talk is an online parenting blog written by Journal Times reporters Janine Anderson and Marci Laehr Tenuta. Find it online at www.journaltimes.com/mom.
