The non-sleeping boy.

[flea]

This week Dillo has decided he doesn't need the 11-12 hours of sleep a night recommended for 3 year olds. Monday night I lay in his bed feigning sleep for most of an hour, and then finally got angry and left in a huff at 9:30. Only then did he stop talking and fall asleep. Tuesday he rejected me, begging for mr. flea, then when he got mr. flea he begged for me. We were not willing to dance to his tune, so he cried and cried. I think he was asleep by 9:45 or so.

Last night was my working night. The cell phone rang at 9:52; it was mr. flea telling me they were going to bundle into the car and come pick me up, since they were all still awake. Casper was tired and angry at Dillo for keeping her up, talking too loud with mr. flea in the next room. She was asleep in about 15 seconds once we got home. I had to lie with Dillo fr another half hour. Even though he was yawning and heavy-lidded, he kept mumbling, "I want Daddy." Even though half the problem while I was at work was that he wanted me.

And then this morning he was wide awake at 6am. WTF? I think the weather (hot hot hot, high 80s-90s all week), the increasing lateness of sunset (it is quite light at 8pm, when we start bedtime, now), and the ineluctable orneriness of the 3.5 year old are to blame. The heat is supposed to break today; I don't know what we can do about the rest.

ION, he has a very funny verbal tic now. He asks us a question, and we answer, and he is surprised, or feigns surprise, and says, "WHAT the...?" I am pretty sure he doesn't know what's supposed to be on the end of that sentence.

Casper, for her part, says, "Niiice" like a surfer when there's something she likes. And after a squabble over who would get the last jellybean from the Easter cake, she defended her grab, saying, "I have a fast hand!" (I laughed out loud, but did take the jellybean, which was rightfully Dillo's.)

Comments

[kate_nepveu]

Oh, sympathies. SteelyKid napped for only fifteen minutes yesterday (something in the air at daycare), but at least she slept well at night.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, summer is rough -- hard to get toddlers to sleep when it's light out until 10pm.

Hee at Surfer!Casper. Our kids went through a "sweeeet" phase after Finding Nemo.

[loligo.livejournal.com]

Maybe we could just leave Dillo and Squeaky on a tropical island for the next three months, with a big pile of bananas and some jars of peanut butter, and see if they've aged out of this developmental phase by the time we come back to get them.

Squeaky objects to EVERYTHING right now. "No, that's not the CD I wanted!" "You didn't read that the right way!" "I wanted a *loooong* story!" Yes, yes, fine, consider your independence asserted -- can we just move on now?!

[haphazardmethod.livejournal.com]

Can I send Sys the Ornery For Reasons No One Can Fathom Or Predict too? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze?

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

See, with Dillo I think the ornery is a function of the age. (3 year olds are notoriously ornery; the Ames and Ig book is titled, "Your Three Year old: Friend or Enemy?" and Casper was like a cross-examining attorney at 3.)

With Sys, I have a suspicions it's a feature, not a bug!