To sleep

Last night Lyla woke up half a dozen times in the big-girl bed. Each time, Julie or I went in there and tried to convince her that a move to the crib carried no shame. It just made her cry harder, as if we were telling her in 1st grade to abandon underwear and return to diapers.

She only fell out of bed once. I entered the room and decided to make light of it.

"You fell out of bed and plopped on the floor!" I hauled her up like a giant Pepperidge Farm Christmas meat log and laid her back down. "Goodnight!" Quick pivot and out the door.

I expected outraged sobs, but instead she went right back to sleep.

And now as I type this, she's back in there again. She rolled around and muttered to herself for 20 minutes or so, but now she appears to be asleep. Hopefully the stretches of sleep lengthen tonight so I'm not so exhausted tomorrow.

I downloaded an application that streams the webcam to the iPhone and iPad, so now we can video-stalk her from anywhere in the house--technically anywhere period. Don't worry: it's password protected to foil burglars and perverts.

In other news, Lyla's two-year checkup was today.


Previously we would dip a binky in sugar water and then shove it her mouth during shots. Since she's binky-free now, a Dum-Dum stood in. It worked just as well.


Lyla whimpered but got over the shots fast. I still think it's a bit psycho how well she reacts to needles; it reminds me of when I was in 8th grade and a kid in my class pierced his own ear with a safety pin. The irony of it being a safety pin was lost on him, as most things were.

But speaking of safety, my assistant principal offered an excellent suggestion to prevent toddlers from falling out of bed. Stick a rolled-up towel along the bed's edge, under the fitted sheet.

Okay, she's definitely asleep now, head at the foot of the bed, on her stomach, butt in the air. I think I'm going to go to sleep, too.