Saturday, February 21, 2009

Rejection rescinded

Nothing stays still in this wonderful world of parenthood and after a few days of being out of favour I have rocketed to the top of the charts. It's all 'Mummy come! Mummy sit down! Mummy play! Mummy hug! Mummy sleep!'... I'm just a playing, talking, sleeping, walking living Mummy doll at the moment. Whatever I'm doing, he's sitting on my lap doing it for me, or standing behind me putting treasures into my pockets (half eaten cheese, anyone?) or grabbing my thumb and pulling me away from it to play with his trains. He won't even go to bed unless I climb in and squeeze myself beside him to have my nose lavished with damp kisses. If I get up while he's drifting off, he lurches awake a few moments later to appear in the livingroom, squinting and shuffling like a pint-sized zombie to grab my thumb again with the call 'Mummy lie down!'.

He's also becoming funny about sleeping in his own bed. He wants to do it, but he wants to sleep with us too. So he's devised a new sleep pattern in which he wakes up at 2am, tries to get me to sleep in his bed and on failure, climbs into ours, shifts Sammy out of his position curled up by my pillow and lies there moaning 'Charlie bed! Charlie bed' over and over and over until I give in. Once he's asleep in his own bed I climb gratefully back into ours, shift Sammy from where he has re-settled on TOP of my pillow and sleep. This lasts for an hour or so until Charlie reappears, pale and rotund like a little potato fairy, hauls himself up into our bed and the process starts again, only with Sammy less willing to relinquish his position each time. On the third try the spud gives up and finally just falls asleep in our bed hanging on to the cat's tail; a process which the cat seems to have adapted to reasonably well, all things considered.

I am in general ambivalent about this state of affairs. On the one hand, yes, I am mad with Motherly Love that he is once again my little sweetie but on the other, I rather wish he would love me and then at 8pm sharp, leave me for the Land of Nod.

anon.

17 comments:

KJ said...

"pale and rotund like a little potato fairy" - you're amazing.

It is nice to know I'm not alone in my strange middle-of-the-night dance with beds, boys and cats.

D..J. Kirkby said...

Ah yes...this post brougth back memories that I would rather have not revisited... I promise you this phase will pass, not sure when but it will go away. xo

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

Wow..that sounds very familiar. some nights Jonathan is so clingy I can't pee alone. Then there are the weekends when daddy is around and I am nothing....and I know what you mean about being their playmate until about 8 p.m. That would be perfect and lovely. If only!

Sparx said...

Kat - it sounds like a lot of us are going through the same stage at the moment, all of Charlie's friends too!

DJ - oh thanks, that's such a relief!

Jonny'a Mommy - I know, if only! As usual, Jon and Charlie at at the same stage! Just Jen to come as Dylan is always the same too!

She's like the wind said...

There is absolutely nothing worst than being wakened in the middle of the night, that is a phase I'll gladly forget. Best of luck and you have my full sympathy. xx

Anonymous said...

Sounds familiar! I have a 5 year old who wanders in a 2am every morning. I moan about it, tut, get irriable, but if she didn't come in I'd wonder what had happened to her. Hopefully she'll grow out of it, but I don't mind it for a little while longer I have to admit.

Sparx said...

She's like the wind - thanks hon! I look forward to the end of this although I don't really mind that much.

Rosiescribble - this is the thing about parenthood; it's absolutely irrational. On the nights the spud sleeps through I wake up terrified that something awful has happened in the night! Perhaps in some way I am bringing this on myself...

darth sardonic said...

ah but what a fun rollercoaster

Sparx said...

Indeed Darth, indeed!

Michelle said...

I think the hardest part about this phase is the lack of sleep! I find it so hard to fall back into a blissful slumber once I've been stirred awake by any of my children. Good luck with the Spud!

Sparx said...

Michelle - thanks hon. Although I keep waking up in the morning and there he is... I gather I'm either sleeping through it all or... er... sleeping through it all now!

Brett said...

Sounds so sweet (i have had a good 8 hours of sleep though)

Sparx said...

Brett - then I can barely speak to you!! Envy, naturally but also brain not fully functioning on a daily basis...

Jen said...

I knew the rejection wouldn't last long! Sleep would be nice, though.
Your comment on my last post wins the prize! Loved how you incorporated Dylan's infamous hiccup, and didn't end your sentence! I am always telling my husband, "the only way I finish sentences these days is to write them".

Sparx said...

Jen - yes, sleep would be great. I finished a sentence today, it was 'Charlie, just lie down and go to sleep!'. I had to say it about 109 times before it took effect tho...

BOSSY said...

Yes, Bossy agrees. Love 'em and leave 'em holds true for parenting.

Sparx said...

Boss - well it seems to hold true for the kids, anyway!