Dream on

G-man won't sleep.  

Wait, that's not quite true. He does actually sleep. Although he has previously tried to set the record for number of hours without a little shut-eye, he does rest. 

I should say, G-man won't sleep without us.

Just a few weeks ago I was thinking how we no longer have to go through an intricate song and dance to get him down for bedtime. No more endless rocking. No more standing in front of his crib, swinging/swaying with him. No more sneaking him out to the sofa to lay down with him. No more back rubs, pleas for sleepy time or selling our souls to have him not wake up the moment a molecule touches the crib mattress.

And then, it was over. I must have jinxed it.

The rocking is back. The wailing as soon as we try to put him down is back. The waking as we try to leave his room is back. More surprising, he no longer can sleep through the night or take himself back to dreamland.

There are a few things we could blame. For one, those pesky molars are still making their way in. I'd be pretty peeved if my mouth hurt a lot, too. Also, maybe he's closer to talking. The books say reaching a milestone could disrupt sleep. How turning into chatty cathy would do this, I don't know. But I didn't write the books.

Personally, I think it's part teeth, part separation anxiety. We just had our Parents As Teachers visit and she agreed this is a time where he could once again turn into cling fresh. We've been doing a lot, in new situations, that I know makes him a little nervous at first. He also has a better understanding of who we are and that we still exist when we leave so he wants to be with us. Oddly enough, he does go to bed well for baby sitters. So my assumption that he wants us feels like it's on track.

At first, this all seems so frustrating. But then I started thinking about it. Despite the fact that we don't do everything right - sometimes it seems we do everything wrong - the G-man still loves us. When he wants comfort, he turns to mommy and papa. As I attempt to put him down and he clutches me like a baby monkey, instead of getting exasperated, I should be flattered. He loves me. He wants to stay with me. 

Awww.

However, I do like sleep, too, so thank goodness for weekends when we can all nap in shifts!