Let Them Sleep in the Middle

Luke and Reed are now 3 1/2 years old and things have quieted down with them quite a bit.  After Christmas, they started to play with actual real toys, and not things that they decided were going to be their toys.  I haven't had to clean up sprinkles in awhile, nor syrup on my floor.  They are learning how to behave as little boys, not crazy little monkeys.  But still, they are twins, identical twins, and mostly identical twin BOYS.  Just the other day, Ross was letting the boys pull off his socks (just something they like to do) and they took off with them and soaked them in the toilet.  Those instances are only a couple times a day, instead of every 5 minutes a day.  The new challenge that we are trying to tackle (we only try to do 1 challenge at a time) is getting them to stay asleep in their own beds.  The problem is, they are trying to phase out of naps, but still desperately need them.  If they get a nap, they will be up until midnight.  If they don't get a nap, they go to sleep in their own beds.  I try to keep them up all day, but there is only so much that a mama can take!  It's not so much crabbiness (although that's part of it), but they get slap happy and NAUGHTY!  I know they need to take a nap when what I say won't hold any water to them.  They feed off of each other and get giddy, a certain kind of crazy giddy.  They sit there and laugh and giggle and encourage each other in naughtiness.  So cringe, into bed they go for a nap.  

It would be one thing if we could keep them contained to their rooms, but no, they use every trick in the book to get out of their room and stay out of there.  I'm sorry to say, it works in their favor a lot of the time.  Ross and I will be downstairs in our family room and we can hear noises (very quiet noises) at the top of the stairs.  Then they slowly inch and creep down the steps.  Sometime we have no clue that they are coming and they'll come around the couch and startle us.  My heart has ended up in my throat more than once.  We put them back to bed, but the cycle keeps repeating itself until Ross and I are ready to head to bed.   A lot of the time, it's just one twin up and the other asleep.  So that's when we have to decide what to do with the one that is awake (wide awake).  Do we (A) Put the boy back in his own bed and hope the ruckus won't wake the other boy or (B) let him climb in bed with us.  Normally plan (B) happens.  I think we normally get only 2 nights without any kids ending up in our bed sleeping with us.  The worst is when both won't sleep and they both somehow get in bed with us. Sometimes we have it where we are asleep (they are in their own bed) and they both come in, get in bed with us and hog it (read post spring for the king).  There is no space at all when that happens.  I have no shame in leaving our bed and going to go to sleep in either Alli's bed (she's just so snugly) or sleep in one of the twins' vacant twin sized bed.  I've found Ross in there before, and I know I've ended up there more than once or twice.  It's pretty bad, but at that point, I don't care where I sleep, just as long as I sleep.  

Sometimes  I'm so tired I sleep through the uncomfortable situation of being absolutely squashed from both sides from each of the boys and my hubby laying there hogging part of the bed (I literally just have enough space to lay straight on my side) that I wake with a kinked neck and back pain (the chiropractor is amazing for being able to work out the kinks).  

Tonight was a no nap type of day.  Luke fell asleep right away in his own bed and Reed did not.  Ross and I were downstairs in the family room area.  I kept thinking I heard one of the boys breathing at the top of the stairs, but kept telling myself I was just hearing things.  Inch by slow staking inch, Reed made his way down.  I looked over at him and he made his way quietly to the 3rd step and stayed there.  We just let him be.  It's a good thing we let him just sit there, not 20 minutes later and he was fast asleep on the stairs.  The step is a perfect sized sleeping place for him.  

And that's how the song goes (by Lonestar) "let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle, oh just let them be little."  Someday, I know I will be missing them when they no longer want to sleep in the middle.