Bedtime is the dumps

Well, I like going to sleep but a certain younger child of mine does not, not to name any names, Reagan.  The problem started when I went back to work full time and didn't have the heart to put the kids to bed as early as we used to.  Lately Reagan has been up until 10:00 or 10:30 most nights and very crabby.  Then this past week or so he has been waking up in the middle of the night two to five times screaming and kicking for anywhere from two to five minutes.  It makes for a very tired Reagan and very tired parents.  Might I add sometimes sore parents depending on how close in proximity his feet are to any part of your body when the kicking starts.  Yes he sneaks into our bed every night but I am so tired I don't care.

Well after a week of this extremely interrupted sleep and being as tired as I was when he was a newborn, I gave in and called the clinic.  I am pretty sure there is nothing physically wrong with him so I wasn't crazy about the thought of wasting 2 hours and a trip to the pediatrician.  I didn't want to take him in and have them give him drugs that he doesn't need.  I was blessed to talk to a wonderful nurse on the telephone who after listening to me quite patiently said that she thought Reagan was having night terrors from a lack of sleep.  As she described them, he could be put in the dictionary.

So begins our next life battle, which we thought would be potty training, but is now bed time enforcement.  8:00 is lights out for little man.  No lights, no television.  He is really ticked about the no television portion of the new program but it only took about 20 minutes of him being really ticked at me tonight and he is now sawing logs.  I so hope this works and think it will really improve the night for all of us, except Madison who can sleep through a tornado.  

I guess I just forgot what it was like to have a mind-of-their own toddler who loved to cuddle next to his mom at night and watch tv way too late for their little self.   Getting rid of the bottle at night and the pacifier will have to wait until this bedtime issue is resolved.  

Please wish us luck as we tackle day #2 of being better parents tomorrow.