I’m beginning to wonder when kids hit that magical age where you can just put them to bed and then not worry about them until a reasonable hour in the morning.  Someone please tell me it’s sooner rather than later.  We had a brief stretch where both the kids were doing great, and then things changed.  Enzo stopped easily going to bed and now we’ve had to put a gate up to keep him in his room.  I can’t remember when it started, but I remember finishing up in the kitchen and turning around to suddenly see Enzo just quietly standing there looking like a creepy child of the corn.

These pictures only sort of have to do with this post. :p

We haven’t a decent bedtime and routine for the kiddos, which can be difficult because we get home a little after 5:00 and then need to get dinner made and if it’s bath night, baths need to be started by 6:45.  Phoebe goes down first around 7:30 and is usually out pretty fast. We try to be out of Enzo’s room by 7:45, which used to be fine, but lately he’s been having trouble falling asleep and will open the door several times usually saying that his tummy hurts (it doesn’t) or that he needs a hug or a kiss or a high five or he wants mommy to sleep with him.  Lately he hasn’t been falling asleep until after 8:00pm and usually closer to 8:30.  He’s been then waking up at around 5:30-6:30 every morning (weekends included), which doesn’t seem like enough sleep, especially since he does seem to get cranky and on the weekend will take 3 hour long naps.

You’d also think that when the kids do wake up earlier than usual we’d get out of the house sooner, but no.  Instead, there is often chaos and some mornings I sit them both on the bed with one of Enzo’s shows so that I can get ready.  Granted, now that Phoebe is more mobile the bed thing doesn’t happen often anymore.  Instead one distraction after another must be found all while trying to keep the stinker away from her brother’s breakfast.

Can I just tell you how much I’m looking forward to one day sleeping in on the weekends and waking up to find that the children have gotten up and gotten their own cereal and are quietly amusing themselves?  I may or may not be a tad sleep deprived lately.  There just always seems to be so much to do and rather than going to sleep, we find ourselves staying up and watching one of our shows or reading because it’s the only time to really unwind.  There must be time hiding somewhere, I just have yet to find it.