Saturday, October 14, 2006

Sleepover!

Last night Mike went out with some friends, so Matthew and I had an evening to ourselves.
And, one of the highlights of putting Matt to bed on my own - and knowing Mike is coming home late is that I get to change up the bedroom routine.
Mike is pretty regimented when it comes to the bedtime routine.
It's always at a set time, we have a little routine and Matt is in bed by 8pm.
I'm fully supportive. The longer this routine has gone on the better the results have been. We have a child who actually goes to bed and we get a full night's sleep. I'm not complaining.
But last night was different.
Matt had expended all of his energy at McDonalds (and a totally cute aside, he was hanging out with an adorable group of five year olds who were amazing with him). We came home and watched an episode of Dora and then he was off to bed. I tucked him in and kissed him goodnight and then went to watch tv.
The only thing was, I was tired, my eyes were shutting, and I knew Matt was still awake.
So I went and asked if he would like to cuddle in mommy and daddy's bed.
"Oh yes!" he said, and went running. I set the ground rules.
He had to be quiet.
He was not allowed to play with his diaper (because he often ends up peeing all over his bed - and his mattress is plastic so no biggie - I didn't want to change sheets); and
This was a special treat!

I've gotta say, things went really well.
I'm not opposed to co-sleeping, but it doesn't work well for us on a regular basis. Matt is squirmy and Mike snores, so when I have them both in bed I don't sleep. Plus, it is too crowded. But, some nights a good cuddle is pretty fun. And, last night was just such a night.
To be honest, we didn't fall asleep right away. Matty wanted to hear stories, so I told him all sorts of stories about when I was a little girl.
Matt told me stories about daycare and even tried to teach me a song.
It was a good old fashioned sleepover. And I loved it!!!
I don't actually know what time Mike got home last night. But when I woke up this morning Matt was in his own bed, cuddling with his stuffed animals and really happy.

I know this won't happen a lot, but as life changes and Matty grows up, it's nice to relish just a few extra cuddles!

2 comments:

Heather said...

That sounds lovely. We co-slept until Miles was about 4 months. I miss it. I can't wait for a sleep over!

PhoenixBites said...

How precious. I have a 1.5 year old and he is the most violent sleeper that I have ever met. I try sometimes to bring him in the bed with me when he isn't feeling well, but it only last so long. Just as I start to doze I'll get a heavy hand across the face or a swift kick in the gut. I miss the days when he was so tiny and laid on top of my chest the entire night...that plus he couldn't walk or run or tell me no...