nocturnal

Sometimes, I think parenting is a bit like being an explorer. No matter how many "maps" or information you have about this new "culture" or "world", you are a bit lost and learning everything as if for the first time in history. It starts with labor. Just like Tina said "Labor, what the hell was that?" or something to that effect. 

Yesterday was a really great day: I got something on my list done, I got out by myself, kids played outside in a brief amt. of sunshine and played inside a lot with friends, had pizza and a movie with one  friend each, while I cooked with my friend Sunita and drank a bottle of wine with her (I had two glasses). Last night, not so good. Ez did not want to go to bed. With hindsight I realized that maybe I should have just sat up with him and read him a book like I have done in the past but then would he expect that every time? I had to record some reality shows for Matt at 8, because he was at Johnny's play. So, I wanted to get the kid to bed. He was not having it. Then he wanted a drink. I let him have one but reminded him that if he drank too much he might wet the bed. Well, that thought stayed with him and at 2 in the morning he was wailing about me wetting the bed. He insisted, in his soporific yet angry state that I should pee, right now.  Eventually I relented, at this point I was wide awake and had to go anyway and really, I just wanted him to be quiet. It did not end there. Apparently I turned on the wrong light in the bathroom. A half hour later I have finally calmed him down by talking about nocturnal animals. Raccoons in the garbage cans outside, gentle little vampire bats nibbling at cows legs, he likes that kind of stuff.  A few hours later he wakes up crying and demanding I scratch his back. 

Who is this guy? What is going on?  At some point in the year we plan to get him back to his own bed all night but we put that off because this year has presented so many major changes for him: preschool, weaning, sleeping in his own bed part of the night...Sometimes I am at a complete loss. And tired. And to make it worse, Matt and I don't really agree on what to do in these situations. 

It is sunny today though. And Saturday. Santa is coming to the community center and I am about to finish another project.