When toddlers give up sleep.

So last night Sienna decided that sleep was not necessary for her. She is starting to talk really well now and I have a feeling the excitement of these new clear communication skills overrode her basic human need for sleep last night. That or daycare secretly slipped her some speed or red cordial in the afternoon.

Either way, it was 11pm when she finally gave in, literally sobbing herself into exhaustion. She was so overtired she slapped me in the face as I tried for the 5th time to sing, soothe, read, wrestle her to bed. Hooray! A slap in the face. She looked at me with hate and desperation in her eyes. Who is this child?

My husband had been trying all night, the mere mention of “bed” turned her into a squealing, frightening wild banshee who couldn’t be reasoned with. We bravely regrouped in the other room, not letting her sense our fear and gave it another go, we tag teamed every hour or so to give each other a rest (well when I wasn’t accidentally falling asleep on my shift). In between she was the most sickly sweet adorable human we had ever met, chatting, singing, at 8pm she tried to delay her normal bed routine “one more book Daddy” in her lovely little voice, at 9pm when I tried lying down with her in our bed “I love you Mumma”, gently stroking my face, at 9:45pm I woke to “tada!” Oops I had fallen asleep and she was showing dad how she could walk in mummy’s shoes. “No bed” She proclaimed at 10pm to her daddy (who was trying to lie down with her in her bed with music playing). Finally at 10.30pm he brought her back into our bed “yay! Mumma! Wake up!” - in a groggy sleepy state I got up and took her into her room, the hysteria began until she wore herself out into a peaceful sleeping cherub (breathing deeply 3 breaths at once like they do post tantrum). I kissed her on the forehead, she rolled over and snuggled into her bed, her breathing calmed and she was finally in the land of nod.

“Oh the joys of parenthood” I have heard so many say before me. I have a feeling that this little episode may come under this broad stroke umbrella of commentary. Experienced parents: Too tired to share the specifics and too many specifics to even know where to start, oh the joys of parenthood.

Xx