The 5 am Cuddle

J is usually a terrific sleeper, but lately, something has been amiss. I don't know if it's the fact that he's getting new teeth, or that his overnight diapers are becoming a little too small, but he's been waking up around 5-5:30 crying his eyes out. It doesn't help that the smoke detector lets off this faint green light, which I believe drives him absolutely insane. He just stares at it and can't focus on falling asleep. Since this is way too early (and now that mama and dada have been used to sleeping their six to seven hours a night) I am not willing to sit in a rocking chair and hold him. Putting him back down in his crib just returns him to the sobbing state he was in before. So, we have been retreating to the guest room for an extra hour or so of dozing time. I don't want this to become a habit, though. J cuddles up on my shoulder and when he is settled, I sink down into the bed and try to catch a few zs myself. The only problem is that the curtains in that room are not very dark, so the first bit of light catches his attention and then he is up and ready. Yesterday he woke up in a state of confusion-- his expression said, "Where the hell am I? And how did I get here?" I thought it was pretty funny, but I didn't laugh because I was still too tired.

We'll see how the next few days go. Daddy is leaving us to go to Philadelphia for a dental conference, so we'll be on our own until Sunday morning. I have a feeling it's going to be a long couple of days. I need to think of some fun things to do. And I need to find some good wine for when J goes to sleep!