Wild Nights

Ever since Peter was sick at the beginning of May we have had a heck of a time getting him to bed every night. It has become the most dreaded part of my day. I feel like I am a soldier heading into war some nights!

What makes it worse is that he has been such a good sleeper up until now. We never had much of a problem keeping him in bed or getting him to sleep. Maybe its just the Terrible 2's rearing their ugly head.

Just as an example this was my other night:

7:00pm Get Peter a fresh diaper, a drink and head to bed.

7:10pm Read books

7:30pm Put Peter in bed, turn on nightlight and music. Turn off lights and leave room. I also put up a baby gate on his door just to keep him in there.

7:31pm Peter starts getting out of bed. He does a little light show flipping his light switch on and off in a strobe effect. Mommy keeps goes back to turn it off and put him back in bed. Peter opens his door and bangs on the baby gate trying to knock it down, he succeeds 3 times.

8:15pm Mommy gets fed up. She pulls out the duct tape and tapes the light switch off. There is peace for a few moments.

8:25pm HUGE CRASH.

8:26pm Mommy runs to the back room and sees Peter standing by the gate innocently looking up...nothing seems wrong. Mommy turns on the light.

8:27pm Mommy screeches as she sees that Peter has dumped the entire fish tank onto his bookshelf. The entire bookshelf, books, and the floor are soaked with water. Mommy grabs some towels and goes into the room screaming at Peter to "GET IN BED NOW!!!"

8:30pm Mommy finds the two fish flopping about between some books. Quickly plops them in the little water left in the bowl and rushes to the kitchen to fill it with more water.

8:32pm Mommy is on the floor putting towels on the worst of it and trying to sort through what books are salvagable. Yelling at Peter "YOU SEE THIS?? THIS WAS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK! NOW ITS TRASH!" "DON'T YOU DARE GET OUT OF THAT BED!" "DON'T TALK TO ME, BE QUIET!" "NO, BED!"

8:45pm Mommy realizes that she has lost it and is seething as she wipes of board books on the floor. Notices that the water got UNDER the bookshelf too. Empties off the top of the bookshelf and lugs the ENTIRE thing to the other side of the room in order to get under it. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" "STAY IN BED!" "IT'S BEDTIME!"

8:55pm Mommy throws 6 soaked towels out of Peter's room and into the laundry. Drags a fan into Peter's room and aims it at the still damp corner. Turns off the light. "DO NOT GET OUT OF THAT BED!"

9:00pm Peter is quiet as mommy wipes up more books in the living room and spreads them out all over the floor to dry.

9:05pm Peter finally falls asleep...2 hours after bedtime.