Nursing Your Kids

2.30 am.
I’m jolted awake by the sound of Sam screaming, “Dada! Dada!” Since Bob got up with him for the previous night’s wakeup I drag myself out of bed to get him figuring a trip to the bathroom wouldn’t hurt and this is as good of an excuse as any.

Sam, standing at the gate trying to close the door behind him, is not happy to see me and screams, “No, mama! Mama, go! Mama back in bed. Mama back in bed. Dada! Dada! Dada!” I walk past him and go to the bathroom. I hear Bob get up. On my way back to bed I hear Sam still complaining about something. I get back into bed. Sam and Bob are still talking then it’s quiet. I fall back to sleep.

3.30 am
I’m jolted awake by the sound of Sam screaming, “Dada! Dada!” I look over and see that Bob’s not back in bed which means that Sam probably woke when Bob was trying to leave his room. I drag myself out of bed to get him figuring a trip to the bathroom wouldn’t hurt and this is as good of an excuse as any. Bob’s beaten me to the bathroom so I stop at Sam’s door to tell him to get back into bed. He’s dropped his Thomas train over the gate. He tells me to get back into bed, to go and that he wants dada. I tell him to get back into bed if he wants Thomas back. He yells, “Mama go!” so I continue down the hallway and meet Bob coming out of the bathroom.

On my way back to bed I look in and see that Sam and Bob are in Sam’s bed. Bob’s trying to go back to sleep and Sam’s sitting up, complaining. I walk over the gate and give Sam his Thomas train back. He cries, “Mama, stay! Mama lie down.” So I tell Bob I’ve got it and he gets out of bed and I climb in. Sam’s quiet for a moment and hands me his Spencer train. “Mama hold it.” I take it.

We both lay in bed, clutching our respective trains then there’s a noise from my bedroom. Sam bolts upright and yells, “Mama go. Mama out of bed. Dada!” He starts to push me and pull the covers off of me. I say, “Alright, alright,” and I sit up at the foot of his bed. He tells me to go a few more times but I ignore him. He’s tired and looks like he’ll fall back to sleep. He murmurs for me to take the gate off a few times. After 10 minutes or so I stand up and cover him. He sits up and tells me to lie down. I’m tired, so I do. I fall asleep scrunched in the small space of twin bed he’s allowed me.

4.54 am
I wake and realize I should try to sneak out of bed. I look over and Sam knows exactly what I’m trying to do. He’s got one eye open. I lay back down. His eye closes. I sit up. It opens. I realize I’m dreaming and that Sam’s sound asleep. I get up and go back to my own bed.