At Least He Can Talk Now

Preschooler is snuggled up to my back: "Mommy, I don't like it this way." He wants me to face him.

Toddler: "Booby." It's not like he hasn't had access all night. He came to bed with me at 11, woke me at 1:30, 3, 4-something. It is now 5 a.m. and the preschooler has just arrived, stripping out of his pajamas before climbing in between me and C.

As he unzips his footy pajamas, I warn him to be quiet. The toddler has just fallen asleep on my arm. I carry him to the boys' room (why do we bother?) and gently place him in his crib. Is it the drop in temperature? The lack of the sound of others breathing? Whatever the case, he's having none of it.

C tries to get him back to sleep. I decide it will be faster and easier to stop the screaming by just bringing Ben back into our bed.

When we bought our new mattress last week, maybe we should have gotten a king-sized one.

We snuggle, the four of us, Ben and then me and then Max and then C, one big warm family squish.

Behind me, Max murmers, "Mommy, but what are we doing today?" I shush him and tell him it is time to sleep.

At my chest, Ben practices new words. "Booby, OK! OK! K! O! K!"

I shush him.

He pats my shoulder. "Knee!"
"No, honey, that's my shoulder. It kind of feels like a knee. Shhhhh. It's sleepytime."

He rubs his ear. "Hurts."

"Your ear hurts?" I ask. He nods vigorously. "Huh!" It's short for "Uh-huh!".

He nurses for a minute. We're all quiet for a minute.

Behind me, Max murmers, "Mama, did we take the garbage out? When did we take the garbage out?"

I shush him.

"Sit down!" Ben says loudly. "Sit down! OK! Sit down! SIT DOWN!" It's something he tells me when he wants to nurse. He knows it means "Sit on your bum in your chair" and "Do not stand in the bathtub." He has also begun to apply it to me, a directive for me to sit down so he can nurse. If a chair is nearby, he points to it and says, "Sit!" but if there's no chair, or if we're lying in bed, he'll say, "Sit down!" which means, "I want to nurse NOW so stop talking, sit down somewhere, and lift your shirt."

"Mommy! Sit down!" he repeats.

He giggles.
I giggle.

"Ben!" says C. "Shhhh! It's not time for talking!"

It's almost 5:30. I might as well get up with him so Max gets some sleep. And maybe I can get some work done with the little chatterer on my lap.

Not bloody likely.