Julia

...has been having a tough time with going to bed lately. She is refusing to start the night off in her own room (and there's only so much, of the "let her cry it out" philosophy that I am willing to subscribe to). She has been falling asleep on the couch (later than her normal bedtime of 7ish, usually between 8-9 sometime). This started off with her saying that there was a sad face on her door. I thought it was a strange thing to say and the first time she said thought maybe one of the older two had drawn a sad face and posted it to her door. I checked and saw nothing. The next couple of nights she said the same thing so I went so far as to go up and study the wood grain on her door, seeing if I could somehow make out a sad face, and found nothing. I finally figured out that she was either seeing a ghost, or thinking of any way possible to avoid bed. This has been going on for weeks now. She has also been having a tough time sleeping through, more so over the past week with her cold. She has been waking up an average of four out of seven nights and coming down to spend the rest of the night with us. This of course means that I have been getting little sleep on those nights because I just don't sleep as well when she is there next to me.

So last night was no different. She ended up falling asleep on the couch, a little after 9, and shortly thereafter, Ryun brought her to her crib. We hosted poker here last night so we were up late, until after midnight. Just after I fell asleep I woke to this incessant banging noise that just wouldn't quit. Yup, you guessed it, it was my bleeping neighbor playing he damned drums, at twelve freaking thirty in the morning. This after he came over about a month ago and asked (even though I had never said anything to him about the previous incident) if there was a time that it wouldn't be good for him to be playing and I had said after 10. I thought even that was generous of me, but apparently not. So of course, he woke Julia up. I was so fired up, that even if I had been able to sleep well with Julia beside me, I wouldn't have been able to. Poor Julia woke up scared, called out for "Dad" and when he picked her up out of her crib, she said, "Is that the drums?" almost sounding confused herself as to why she was hearing them in the middle of the night.

So I guess it's time to play bitchy neighbor and go have a conversation with the guy...maybe get him to understand that waking a sleeping child is like, a mortal sin or something. Teach him a little bit about respect and common courtesy.

First though, I have to work up he nerve. I am such a "don't rock the boat" kind of person, but, I am afraid Ryun, if I chose to send him over might commit mortal sin himself and that folks, wouldn't be good.