Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I don't wanna go to bed... (SoLS)

For the past three weeks, things have been in a constant state of upheaval...  Exhibit A: all of the contents of our apartment scattered about like boats in post-hurricane marinas.  Exhibit B: half the boxes from our storage space artfully stacked in our new garage.  Exhibit C: bedtimes strictly loosely adhered to while we made the 30-minute trek up here on weeknights to get a jump on the movers (a.k.a. gracious family members who worked for donuts and homemade sloppy joes) to try to do our part.

Yep; there's been no continuity...but one might expect that when there's
    a new house,
          a new town,
               a new school year,
                    and a small, tired family who (luckily) can glimpse goodness
                    through each bleary-eyed gaze.

We're sleepy.  My husband drinks more coffee and I eat more junk food...you know; for comfort.  (If you could nod in agreement here, that'd be super.)  We stay up far too late to cross just one or two more items off our to-do list so tomorrow it isn't as daunting.  I unpack more of my maternity tub to discover the clothes I've been missing for months.  And even still, we find time to play around with our new WiFi system (because we can now) and here I sit, all cozy on our pillowy bed...writing (because it feels good too).

HOWEVER, there is just one person here who hasn't gotten the memo that tired = sleep.  That would be the toddler, in his new room, upstairs away from the excitement of the television and conversation.  The hubbub that he was used to taking in each night on his way to Sleepytown...because the apartment family room just outside Reid's bedroom...is gone.

Now, our new routine after bath, stories, tuck-in: "MOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYYYY.  I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED.  WHERE ARE YOU?'  echoes from a dimly lit room, through the hallway, and then down the stairs.  The first visit in, I'm reassuring and empathetic --- the new surroundings may bring anxiety.  The second visit, I'm impatient. 

"I just want to go to school.  Can I go now?  I don't need to sleep." reasons one sleep-deprived kiddo.  One sleep-deprived mommy offers, "You have to sleep first.  We always sleep before school, so we can be our best.  Mommy sleeps before school too."  (In fact, I'm nearly in a narcoleptic state as we speak...but, you know, all that talk can be saved for later.)

It's funny.  Adults wish for bedtime.  We covet it {and sometimes even sit at our desks wishing for it to roll around quickly}.  Kids fight it {even though their little bodies so desperately need it}.  Why?

Hopefully, tomorrow night...and each night we're in our new house...gets easier, and sleepier, and dreamier...earlier.  I think it will. 

But for now, there's that coffee shop I love...and some great junk food to provide a little comfort... (and maybe even a little more eye liner applied...)

We're glad to be home.

Write on,
b