Projects-Getting Well and Climbing Out

I put Sambo down for a nap in his crib. This is how I found Sambo this afternoon after the nap.

My projects and project-posting got derailed last week. Last week I started feeling a little under the weather on Monday morning. I went about my week mostly like normal and was able to keep up with most of my tasks. I even made headway on one project in particular (more on that in a few days). I was definitely hanging in there. By Wednesday night I was sure I was well. By Thursday evening I was sick as a dog again and things went downhill each day after that. Unfortunately I had a very full weekend and by Sunday night I had completely lost my voice and was so sick I was thinking the swine flu would be better than whatever I had.

But that's all beside my point. The main point is, I've been working hard to keep my youngest son IN.HIS.CRIB. That's my latest project and mission in life. I can tell he's almost two years old because he's been so busy getting into things -- and out of things -- lately that if Buddy hadn't come before and paved the way, I'd think Sambo was totally out of control.

(But since Buddy came first, there is nothing Sambo could do that would shock me or wear me out at this point.)

So the saga all started about two months ago when Sambo first climbed out of his crib. He's extremely agile and has always been a climber, so I wasn't at all surprised when it happened. He was 20 months at the time. He was supposedly taking a nap. I heard a big plop. I went upstairs to find him sitting on the floor. As soon as he saw me, he started crying and put his arms out for me to comfort him. Those of you who know his personality know that he has the saddest cry anyone has ever seen. He cries with the biggest crocodile tears that just pour out of his big brown eyes and pouts his lip like no child I've ever met. It's impossible not to feel badly for him. Which is precisely why he always gets his way. Anyway, he pulled that on me, but I wanted to be clear we DO NOT climb out of the crib so I spoke sternly/yelled at him, and plopped him back in his crib. I turned around and walked out of his room and closed the door behind me.

Another thing you should know is that Sambo hates getting in trouble. He's generally an extremely obedient child (bless him for that). So when I walked out of the room when he was already crying, he started to cry so hard I thought he was going to pass out. He was so sad and since he's spoiled, I just couldn't stand to let him cry like that. So I went back to his room and explained that we don't ever climb out of the crib.

I figured he understood and got the point and for two months never did it again. Yay!

So Saturday night we had a little childfree get-together with some college friends. I told the babysitter my kids are extremely easy to put to bed and I warned Buddy of the consequences of taking advantage of her.

Around 10:30 (right as we were leaving) the babysitter called and frantically said she'd been trying to put Sambo to bed for two hours and he refused. I was totally confused by this because there are plenty of times that he naps too long so then he fools around in his crib at bedtime, but he has never cried and certainly doesn't "refuse." I told her to close the door and walk out and totally ignore him. "You want me ignore him? Buddy can't sleep with all the commotion." she said. "Yes, if you keep going in there he'll never go to sleep. And tell Buddy this is too bad and this is just how it goes when you share a room with your brother," I replied.

I left the party super annoyed with the situation in general. I was annoyed that Buddy wasn't being more mature and was letting his brother get to him. And I was especially annoyed that the babysitter was letting both kids walk all over her.

When I got home I apologized to the babysitter and told her that Buddy would have consequences for contributing to the problem. She begged me not to punish him "because he was actually quite helpful and had nothing to do with this situation." The boys had just fallen asleep, she said.

So the next morning I got ready for church and wandered down the hall to get the kids up. All was quiet in their room and I thought, "It just figures they always sleep in on Sundays when we have to be up early." But when I opened their door, they were both sitting in the dark in Buddy's bed under the covers reading books.

"How in the world did your brother get in your bed?"

"Boy do I have a story for you, mom," Buddy said. "When the babysitter was here last night Sambo climbed out of his bed about 700 times. He kept getting out of his crib and coming into my bed. I was going to sleep and he' kept doing it and every time he'd get in my bed it would wake me up. And when he woke up this morning he climbed out of bed and came and woke me up. He wanted to read books with me."

I felt so bad that I had assume Buddy was the problem. And I felt so bad that I had gotten annoyed with the babysitter. And I felt bad that the babysitter never explained the true problem to me the night before. And I felt so bad that we spoil Sambo so much he thinks he can pull stunts like this.

But trust me, that's not nearly as bad as I felt when I realized this is our new normal. Putting Sambo back in his crib repeatedly every night. And hearing the pitter patter of little feet bright and early every morning.

I've blogged several times before how the boys both BEG to sleep together in Buddy's bed every night. We've tried it, and Sambo isn't nearly mature enough to succeed. Trust me. Even Buddy is changing his mind about that idea. So Sambo must stay in his crib.

And I know they sell crib tents and we are certainly looking into them. I think that's our only option at this point.