Sleep Habits

A few nights ago....about 4.3 seconds after turning on the TV to watch compulsory ice dancing at the Olympics, Jay was out cold on the couch.  (But not before he could complain, "A twizzle!  What kind of sport has a twizzle in it?)  Apparently watching men and women dance around on the ice to the EXACT same music with the EXACT same choreography was not exciting enough for him.
  
Surprising.
  
In all honesty, I tried my hardest to be interested but my book about the witches of Salem in the 1600's was far more intriguing than the people of the 21st century dancing the "romantic tango" with knives strapped to their boots.  Twizzle or no twizzle.  And because I couldn't summon a marching band to wake up Jay and I couldn't haul him up to our room on my back, I left him snoozing away on the couch with visions of ice dancing cowgirls in his head.
  
As I walked past Kai's door I heard the telltale signs of a chest cold.  Since I had a big giant bed to myself I decided to put him in bed with me so I could listen to his breathing.  To monitor his developing cough.  That was my excuse.  What I really wanted was to spend time with him when he wasn't going mach 10 from one disaster to the next. And since that only happens when he is asleep, I seized the opportunity.  I wanted some quiet time alone with my "baby" who isn't a baby anymore but a toddler.  A full-fledged little boy.  That night I wanted to stop time and spend some peaceful moments alone with the boy who will always be my baby.

I snuggled him in and felt immense happiness just being close to him.  Until...

He proceeded to thrash about like a fish out of water.  He was twisting and turning and picking his legs up and slamming them down and doing his own version of the twizzle. I endured the beating for about as long as Jay endured ice dancing, and I returned my little whirling dervish to his own bed, my lofty idea of a tranquil cuddle chopped to bits with each swing of Kai's stubby arm.

It reminded me of other nights I thought it would be a good idea to have some peaceful moments with my sleeping boys.  While on our camping trip last summer, with the serenity of the Great Smokey Mountains surrounding us, I attempted to sleep between Chuck Norris and Kung Fu Panda in a little 2 man tent.  With Owen on one side and Drew on the other, I spent a pain filled night being karate chopped, speared, kicked, scratched and rolled over in the tent of terror.
  
Which brings me to these photos of our camping trip in North Carolina last summer. That is Chuck Norris on the right who enjoys the noise of electronics more than the chirping crickets.  Kung Fu Panda, below, who looks like he is about to snort his s'more right into his giant nostrils!  And that is Kai before he became Houdini and could escape from anything and pick any lock on the green earth.  Being quarantined in that pack and play was the ultimate of insults and the wailing cut through the quiet of nature like a knife.  Our neighboring campers loved us!  Oh, those were the days....