Monsters have invaded the Linstad household. In the last 36 hours they have completely taken over and terrorized our poor Noah Bug.
In the last few weeks he has started to wake up VERY early and sing, yell or scream until someone comes and gets him. John has a magic word or spell that he uses (which he hasn't shared with me) and is able to either get him back to sleep in his own crib, or cuddle with him on the couch and get him back to sleep. However it happens, he is able to get Noah back to sleep...oh yes, and go back to sleep himself. Awesome.
He will not do this for me no matter what.
So since John has been gone hunting I've been up with Noah. A lot. It reminds me a bit of when they were tiny babies and I was up with them a lot. But this is different. There isn't a promise of an afternoon nap to catch-up the next day. In the past 36 hours 98% of everything Noah has talked about has to do in some way or another with monsters. He woke up at 4am this morning, terrified of the monsters. Knowing he isn't the best at putting himself back to bed, I went and got him and brought him to cuddle with me. He grabbed onto me with the grip of death and would not let go. He truly was scared. He did cuddle with me for awhile in my bed, but it was a wiggly unsettled cuddle and he started bothering Jack (who sleeps in my bed when John is gone). So we got up.
Most of the day was spent talking about monsters and who would do what to them. Daddy will shoot them, Mom will "get" them, Maddie will poke them. Everyone has a job. Despite his early morning and ample time at the Y today, there was no nap for him. So he was completely exhausted by bed. The more tired he got the more critical the monster threat became. He needed sleep so after a refused dinner, it was off to bed. Oh yes. As the kids ate, I whipped together a monster of his own. A stuffed animal which we named Happy Monster. It is a brown polar fleece odd shape with button eyes and yarn mouth, and a beaver like tail. But Happy Monster was immediately accepted and loved.
Bedtime routine as normal, and NOPE. Sleep in Maddies bed, monster spray, sleep with Maddie, add in extra lights, music (classical), tape their bed off with a "No Monsters Ever" sign...NOPE NOPE NOPE!! I send Grandpa Lumpy (one of the many perks of living mere blocks from grandparents) to Trader Joes for Melatonin.
At the moment, Im sitting outside their room "on guard" for monsters. Its been awhile since the last cry...so this battle may be over. Now I just have to deal with Jack Attack who was ever so quietly sitting on the couch as this debachle was going on, eating abundant halloween candy!!!
