Ommy Sleep in Nicholas Room

Nicholas is normally a super easy little boy to put to bed--he goes down with no complaint and lies there listening to the music and sucking his thumb until he drifts off on his own. But tonight he started crying for me about 10 seconds after I left his room. He sounded really upset so I went to him.

He insisted we needed to do his ears (the safety Q-tip we do after his bath). He had grasped onto the word "ears" in his bedtime prayer and repeated it (I've been adding in a prayer for his ears to get all better--we will get the verdict on tubes on Thursday), so I figured that was what prompted his demand. He then told me the right one hurt. Oh brother. But he didn't flinch when I did the Q-tip so I guess it doesn't hurt that much. Although this is the little boy with the crazy pain threshold.

Back to bed. And crying again. I decided to leave him, but after a few minutes I could hear him calling plaintively to me and using words instead of just crying. And he was asking me to come sleep in his room. "Ommy sleep in Nicholas Room." "Ommmmmmy sleep in Nicholas Roommmmmmm." This was not going to end. So I went to talk to him.

After a few minutes of pretending to sleep on his floor I was done. My dinner was getting cold and I wanted to leave. So I took a shot in the dark. Maybe he was acting like this because he hasn't seen me much the past couple days. He has been sleeping in past 7 and I have to be out the door at 6:45 on days I go to College Park. And today I didn't make it home until 6:30. Maybe seeing me for just half an hour today had him clingy. Worth a shot. "Nicholas, I am going to leave now. But I will be here when you wake up in the morning. When you wake up, call, "Mommy, open the door," and I'll come get you. I am leaving now and you are going to sleep, but when you wake up I will be here." I could tell he was considering this, so I pushed a little further. "Okay?" He looked at me carefully and then hesitantly responded, "Okay." "Night night, buddy, I love you."

Close door and make escape.

And the crazy thing? It worked. He has been silent ever since.