A Bed-Time Story
If you're thinking this is a sweet tale that I told my boys before bed-time, you're wrong. Rather, this is how bed-time went down tonight. It was not pretty, and certainly not sweet.
First, let me explain our typical Bed-time Routine:
Around 7:15 p.m. - Eli goes to bed. He goes to bed first, because he is easily distracted and Silas is older. Silas stays in the living room with Dusty, while I get him down. After 10-15 minutes, he's asleep.
Around 7:30 p.m. - Silas goes to bed.
Around 7:45 p.m. - Silas' door opens, his head peeps around the corner and he says, "I gotta go potty, mommy." (no, it doesn't matter if he went before I put him to bed.) A few minutes later the bathroom door opens, he stands there staring at us for a minute and says, "Mommy, I need to give you and daddy a hug and a kiss." He gives his kisses and hugs and we send him promptly back to bed.
Peace. Relaxation. Time to unwind.
Last week and this week, Dusty is working on a project with Turning Point, called Haven's Light, which is a 10 part mini-series that will go along with Dr. Jeremiah's fall television series. This was also the reason Dusty went to New York a couple weeks back. (You can find more information here http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/blog.aspx if you're interested.) Pretty much all the filming has been in the evening, which means he's gone for bed-time. What this means is, while putting Eli to bed, Silas is in the living room by himself. He does not like this. After a few minutes, the door opens and he tells me, "Mommy, I am sooo tired. I have to rest. I will lay down and go night night." No big deal - I tell him to lay down. The boys have fallen asleep fine the past week, so why not? Well, it all changed tonight.
I'm not sure what was so funny, or what was going through my kid's heads, but going to sleep was the last thing on their minds. Silas sleeps in his twin bed and Eli is still in his crib, which is a few feet away from Si's bed. Silas was in his "big boy bed" at 18 months, but let's just face it - Eli is easier in his little cage. I haven't been too motivated to deal with putting him to bed a million times a night, because I fear he'll be getting out of bed every two seconds. Most likely he will think it's all a big game. However, we are saving for bunk beds so the time is coming. But in the meantime, his crib is working just fine. So, not two seconds after Silas came in the room, Eli was standing up laughing - laughing joyfully, as if it were play-time.
Silas began to laugh. I told them both to stop and was completely ignored. Then they started pretend shooting at one another, making all sorts of sound effects. After some very serious warnings and even a little spank - nothing was working. I decided to leave the room, figuring they had to eventually fall asleep, right?
One minute later, I heard nothing but commotion in the room, so I walked back in.
Eli was standing near the edge of the crib closest to Si's bed. Silas pretended to "laser him" with loud, realistic sound effects, while Eli ever so dramatically fell down on his mattress at the force of the laser. {Hysterical Laughter} Eli stood up and lasered Silas, equally as convincing as his older brother. Silas threw himself down on the bed, and laid there, dying slowly. {Laughter - Proud, Hysterical Laughter}
Me - in a very low, serious mommy voice, "You. Boys. Better. Lay. Down. Now. Go. To. Sleep." Come on, aren't you intimidated?
Silas threw himself down, pulling the covers over his head. Eli laid back, closed his eyes with a huge grin on his face and tilted his head to his shoulder as if he were really asleep. Two seconds later, he peeked his eyes open to see if I was still there. I was. He giggled.
I made sure Silas understood that I did not want to hear another word out of his mouth or he would go to time out. So, he stopped.
Silence.
A minute later - a loud, train-like noise came from Silas' bed as he pretended to snore. Then, Eli tried, but was pretty unsuccessful at his attempt. Again, I made sure they understood that I did not want to hear another noise come out their mouths.
Silence.
From Eli's crib I heard, "Quack, quack, quack."
Silas giggled.
Very frustrated, also trying not to laugh, I said, "Shhhhhhhhhhh!!" - very forcefully, mind you. He stopped.
First, let me explain our typical Bed-time Routine:
Around 7:15 p.m. - Eli goes to bed. He goes to bed first, because he is easily distracted and Silas is older. Silas stays in the living room with Dusty, while I get him down. After 10-15 minutes, he's asleep.
Around 7:30 p.m. - Silas goes to bed.
Around 7:45 p.m. - Silas' door opens, his head peeps around the corner and he says, "I gotta go potty, mommy." (no, it doesn't matter if he went before I put him to bed.) A few minutes later the bathroom door opens, he stands there staring at us for a minute and says, "Mommy, I need to give you and daddy a hug and a kiss." He gives his kisses and hugs and we send him promptly back to bed.
Peace. Relaxation. Time to unwind.
Last week and this week, Dusty is working on a project with Turning Point, called Haven's Light, which is a 10 part mini-series that will go along with Dr. Jeremiah's fall television series. This was also the reason Dusty went to New York a couple weeks back. (You can find more information here http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/blog.aspx if you're interested.) Pretty much all the filming has been in the evening, which means he's gone for bed-time. What this means is, while putting Eli to bed, Silas is in the living room by himself. He does not like this. After a few minutes, the door opens and he tells me, "Mommy, I am sooo tired. I have to rest. I will lay down and go night night." No big deal - I tell him to lay down. The boys have fallen asleep fine the past week, so why not? Well, it all changed tonight.
I'm not sure what was so funny, or what was going through my kid's heads, but going to sleep was the last thing on their minds. Silas sleeps in his twin bed and Eli is still in his crib, which is a few feet away from Si's bed. Silas was in his "big boy bed" at 18 months, but let's just face it - Eli is easier in his little cage. I haven't been too motivated to deal with putting him to bed a million times a night, because I fear he'll be getting out of bed every two seconds. Most likely he will think it's all a big game. However, we are saving for bunk beds so the time is coming. But in the meantime, his crib is working just fine. So, not two seconds after Silas came in the room, Eli was standing up laughing - laughing joyfully, as if it were play-time.
Silas began to laugh. I told them both to stop and was completely ignored. Then they started pretend shooting at one another, making all sorts of sound effects. After some very serious warnings and even a little spank - nothing was working. I decided to leave the room, figuring they had to eventually fall asleep, right?
One minute later, I heard nothing but commotion in the room, so I walked back in.
Eli was standing near the edge of the crib closest to Si's bed. Silas pretended to "laser him" with loud, realistic sound effects, while Eli ever so dramatically fell down on his mattress at the force of the laser. {Hysterical Laughter} Eli stood up and lasered Silas, equally as convincing as his older brother. Silas threw himself down on the bed, and laid there, dying slowly. {Laughter - Proud, Hysterical Laughter}
Me - in a very low, serious mommy voice, "You. Boys. Better. Lay. Down. Now. Go. To. Sleep." Come on, aren't you intimidated?
Silas threw himself down, pulling the covers over his head. Eli laid back, closed his eyes with a huge grin on his face and tilted his head to his shoulder as if he were really asleep. Two seconds later, he peeked his eyes open to see if I was still there. I was. He giggled.
I made sure Silas understood that I did not want to hear another word out of his mouth or he would go to time out. So, he stopped.
Silence.
A minute later - a loud, train-like noise came from Silas' bed as he pretended to snore. Then, Eli tried, but was pretty unsuccessful at his attempt. Again, I made sure they understood that I did not want to hear another noise come out their mouths.
Silence.
From Eli's crib I heard, "Quack, quack, quack."
Silas giggled.
Very frustrated, also trying not to laugh, I said, "Shhhhhhhhhhh!!" - very forcefully, mind you. He stopped.
"Boys, it's time to go to sleep. No. More. Playing."
Silence.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Silas put both his legs in the air, as he waved his arms - rather, flapped his arms. Two seconds later, Eli's little hands began waving and his legs started kicking, as he perfectly imitated his big brother. He had the proudest little smirk on his face as he looked over at me.
Silence.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Silas put both his legs in the air, as he waved his arms - rather, flapped his arms. Two seconds later, Eli's little hands began waving and his legs started kicking, as he perfectly imitated his big brother. He had the proudest little smirk on his face as he looked over at me.
This was it. I said my peace and then I sat - and I stared. There was no way I was leaving the room, so I planned to sit there until they realized I was not kidding and they decided to go to sleep.
They both had their eyes on me, wondering what would happen. They both stared right back at me. I had to keep my face straight - now, it wasn't too difficult because by this point I was pretty frustrated, but they're still really cute. Silas got the idea, but Eli still wanted to be funny. He would make a face, try to stand up or make a cute little noise here and there. But I didn't back down and he finally got it.
From Silas' bed - {Deep Sigh}
From Eli's bed - {Deep Sigh}
15 minutes passed.
From Eli's bed - {YAWN}
I watched him rub his eyes, as his eyelids slowing blinked up and down. Blink. Blink. B-l-i-n-k. I held my breath a few seconds, waiting to make sure he was really out - and then I stood up. Silas was still awake, but had calmed down to his normal, sweet self. I gave him a hug and kiss and told him, "Goodnight." He said, "Mommy, I love you so so so so much. Goodnight."
I went straight to the kitchen to get a bowl of Slow-Churned Drumstick Ice Cream. And let me say, it was heavenly.
Next step - enroll my kids in CYT.
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