Have mercy

Mallory continues, most nights of the week, to lie awake and talking for some time after we put her to bed. Most nights this is less than half an hour but last night, it was almost 90 minutes. She also continues, most nights, to have me out of bed at least once or twice. Last night it was twice, and Chad went in for the third shift. When I was up with her the first time, she gave me her "It's too windy outside my window!" line. She's used that one once before, when we were actually mid-thunder storm and it was a valid excuse. Last night was quiet and still and altogether not too windy.

When Liam used to wake up at night, he would grumble and cry a bit and, after a minute or two, settle himself back to sleep. He never got out of bed. And we could tell that his cry was an 'I'm-not-really-awake' kind of sound. When he was really and truly awake and needed some attention, he sounded altogether different. Mallory, on the other hand, is out of bed the minute she wakes up, crying on the floor and sobbing "Daddy! Mommy!" under the crack of her door, louder and louder until the words become incoherent and she's just a blubbering mess. She makes herself sound so desperate.

I am altogether too much of a sucker for this girl. I am totally enchanted with Liam, too; don't get me wrong. But he pulls at my heartstrings in a much quieter and less obvious way. Mallory is more of an extremist; she goes through the highest highs and the lowest lows. Whereas Liam has settled into the routine of a 4-year-old boy, Mallory is still changing every day. Her new thing is to saunter nonchalantly up to you when she wants attention, turn and look at you over her shoulder, and deadpan, "Oh. Hello." And then she will act like it's a huge coincidence that your paths crossed. Every day when she gets dressed she gives herself a satisfied "I look pretty!" declaration before trotting down the stairs for breakfast. She is zany by day and when she needs me by night, well, she is awfully convincing at making it seem like she needs me. I'm sure she doesn't, really. But this certainty only seems to be with me during daylight hours.

And so, I suffer. 10 a.m. rolls around and I feel like I have already put in a full day. Every day I fervently hope that tonight will be the night we make it through with no disruptions. So far, I've been wrong every single time. I still have my old copy of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child kicking around (that is one baby item I will never list on Kijiji!), and also a copy of The Happiest Baby on the Block or some such thing that I never read all that much when my babies were babies, but which may prove beneficial now. It's time to dig it out and face the sleep issues head-on. The poor, overworked bags under my eyes will thank me for it.