Bedtime Blues...

Cara looked at me yesterday and told me that she is concerned Teresa will not last pre-school.  I chuckled, because I know she isn't serious and I know what she means.  Teresa seems to have finally bought into the 'terrible twos', and we have two options either snap or laugh, and thusly we laugh.

Teresa has become newly fussy, primarily about times when Cara is gone, to which she will cry to the heavens and be inconsolable.  She also doesn't exactly listen very well, and yes I know where that comes from, like last night when she sang all the way through dinner even though we asked her regularly not to.  Nevertheless there are always some funny moments.

Teresa has always been a great sleeper, and she still is...  when she gets there.  Teresa's afternoon nap is quickly disappearing into the ether and is being replaced by quiet time in her bedroom.  "Quiet time" is one of the greatest misnomers ever though.  It normally begins that way, and as time passes you will hear a quiet singing voice, then it progresses to a louder singing, then she is umping on the bed and banging on Frances' wall.  On weekends, I then get up from my nap-like position (this invariably occurs right as I am about to fall asleep) and quiet her done, thus hitting the reset button and beginning the process anew.  When I am going out to for a bike ride, or making beer, or getting in the van, or cleaning the back yard I also see a cute little face peering through her window, as she uses her side table to stand on...

Bedtime at night is at times a similar story.  Of course her lack of sleep during the day causes her to be tired and fussy for the few hours I am home on a work night, followed by the struggle of getting her to bed when she is so awake she will cry to prove her lack of needing to be in bed...  Sigh.  The best is that she now seems to think she is sneaky.  We will put her to bed.  15 minutes later her door will open and she will 'go to the washroom'.  Two nights ago she announced to Cara all surprised "Mommy, I still had pee in me!".  Way to blow your cover agent!  A few days back I heard her door open a second time.  I peered around the corner and saw nothing.  I waited a bit, heard nothing more, but decided to check in on it anyways.  Suddenly I hear the "THUMP THUMP THUMP" of her always dainty feet, then "SLAM - THUMP THUMP THUMP - PLOP - CRINKLE!" with her jumping on her plastic covered mattress...  I find it hilarious she thinks she is subtle.

When the weather was bad I had begun cycling in the basement in preparation for spring, normally after Teresa was put into bed.  Almost every day I would find Teresa doing something involving being out of bed, including peering down the stairs.  The best story though was early on I found her sitting in the La-Z-Boy 'reading' stories.  You can't get mad at that so I gave her some more time, and then we went back to bed.  It became so bad though that I had to leave EVERY light off upstairs.

Anyhow, I found the last couple of stories amusing so I figured they should be shared to the masses.