12.26.2004

Because they think I'll look good in grey

My children are conspiring to give me grey hair early - or is gray?

The little one keeps teasing us with a straight neck. Today she did a nice game of "on again, off again tippy head." Sometimes you'd catch her with a perfectly straight head as she sat on a lap or was being held upright. Other times she'd sit there staring at you with that head leaning to the side as it always does. You start thinking she's past the whole "wry" thing and then she regresses. I'm starting to think she's my little troublemaker and she's doing it now to mess with my head. Ok, I don't really think that, but when she starts laughing at me as I do her neck stretches you have to wonder a bit.

The big one apparently can no longer nap because every time he does take a nap during the day lately he screws with bed time. Case in point - tonight. Nice bed time routine and then boom...five minutes after I plant a good night kiss on his head and leave his room he's standing next to me and my laptop laughing. This went on for approximately two hours. During the course of the increasingly aggravating 'game' of his, four of his beloved Friends of Thomas were sent to 24-hour time-out. They now sit on a book shelf where they will stay all day tomorrow not being played with. I know I am setting myself up for tantrums. Although actually, if the snow stops and the roads aren't bad I've set Grandma up for diaster.

The little wise guy did his darndest to make me laugh - and although he doesn't know it he succeeded. I mean really, try not to laugh at the stuff he was tossing out:

Me - Logan that's enough. Now Lady is up on the shelf with Diesel 10. No Lady tomorrow.

Him - Why? I behaving now. See, Mommy. I fine. I sitting in bed now.

Me (probably with a touch too much sarcasm for the mature adult I'm supposed to be) - Yeah, that's great Logan, but you were not sitting here nicely in bed behaving two minutes ago.

Him - I know, but I sit here now. Lady sleep on shelf tonight. I see her in morning.

Me - No, Logan, Lady can't play tomorrow and neither can Diesel 10. They are off limits tomorrow because you're not listening tonight.

Him - I listen. I just come visit you.

Example two, as I escort him to his room for the Nth time:
Mommy, you should be working. You work very important.


Example three, after I tell him that I have to get work done tonight because its starting to snow so I may work from home and if I can get some work done tonight we can play outside tomorrow he says:
Oh! It snowing? I need my snow pants now.


Example four, as he stands in the living room watching me put yet another toy on the shelf banned from his use tomorrow:

Him - No! Mommy I like Jack!

Me - Yes I know Logan, that's the point.

Him - No put Jack in time-out, pick someone else. I want to play with him tomorrow.

Me - Ahhh, no, don't think so.

Example five as he sits on his bed having just made such a rukus he's awoken the baby:

Him - Mommy you need get a crayon and paper.

Me - No, you need to go to bed.

Him - No Mommy, you need to make a list for the supermarket.

Me - I need to what?

Him - Make a list for shopping. You have to buy Chap Stick for my baby (Editor's Note: baby being his stuffed green hippo.) She have yucky lips. She needs Chap Stick.

Me - Logan, your baby does not need anything for her lips. Stay here I will get you the stuff we already have for you.

He gets it. He pretends to put it on his toy. He puts it on his own lips, then says "There all done. Ok, Mommy, you can cross it off your shopping list."

For what its worth, we finally just pulled the door to his room completely shut and ignored his protests and banging around. Its something we had done a few times tonight but naively went in to see if the thud we had heard was him slamming the lid to his step stool repeatedly or cracking his skull open on the hardwood floor. (It was the lid, don't report me to Children's Services for neglect thank you very much.) We also went in once or twice to point out that his loud prouncements that his door was shut and he wanted out were waking his sister. We decided it was easier to get her back to sleep than to chase him up and down the hall. Since that final "this door ain't opening" we've not seen him or heard him. One can only hope he's not figured out how to climb out a window. . .

1 comment:

Mandy said...

Liam has not been willing to stay in his bed when not asleep EVER so we have tried just about everything. The thing that seems to work most is to let him play in his room until he is ready to sleep. He has been able to open doors for ages so we have a knob cover on the inside of his door.

We do the bedtime routine complete with laying on the bed with him for prayers and then close the door as we leave. Some nights he stays put and some nights he gets up and plays for a bit. Before going to bed we always check on him.

Most nights that he plays he gets in bed to sleep, but sometimes we find him asleep on the floor and move him to bed. We leave his door cracked open at that point.

He did fight us at first, but if you were willing to do CIO then this is very similar only the room becomes the crib, so to speak.