Hooray - Side Rails and Night Owls!

Well, a mere year older than Maryn was, we finally removed the side rail of Dylan's bed. He is completely open to roam as he chooses - and we completely expected him to. However, to our amazement, not only is he not roaming but he is sleeping much better. Before we made the decision, he had started waking up again on and off throughout the night. This time, however, when we would go in to check on him he would have one leg over the rail. I don't think he would have gone all the way. He always seemed to get to the point where he couldn't go any further, but he knew there was no turning back. Now, my little man insists on crawling into his bed all by himself.

But, wait, don't assume my household is completely free of night-owl toddler roaming! Yep, you guessed it! Maryn is my roamer. She has always been a great sleeper and she still is. But now she has suddenly made a habit of getting up at least once after we have put them both to bed. At first we teetered on scolding. That didn't seem like the right thing to do because we want her to know she can get up if she truly needs us or needs to go to the bathroom. So we began to thoroughly explain this to her. We say, "ONLY get up if you have to potty or it is an emergency." So, now I am going to fill you in on the latest emergency which brought her out of bed, and in her normal night-owl fashion, sliding quietly down the hallway wall towards the living room to ask a very, VERY important question.

Three days ago we had a conversation about how animals become food. This has apparently been weighing on her mind.

MARYN: Are spiders food?
RACHEL: No, honey. Spiders are not food.
MARYN: Yes they are, they are animals.
RACHEL: Spiders are bugs, it isn't the same.
MARYN: No, mom they are food.
RACHEL: Okay fine....back to bed.
MARYN: What about frogs?
RACHEL: Yes, frogs.
MARYN: Elephants?
RACHEL: Yes, elephants.
MARYN: NO, elephants are too big! Need to cut elephants.
MARYN: Probably chewy.
RACHEL: Yes, I bet you are right.

Phew! Emergency averted!!

Additional note from mommy (11-8-06): Seriously, the very night I wrote this, Dylan must have gotten out of bed 4 times!!! That will teach me to open my big ole mouth!!! :) Needless to say, he didn't seem to want very much. Rex had fallen asleep on the sofa watching the election coverage and twice Dylan woke him up by crawling on top of him. When Rex finally came to bed and told me, I thought surely he must be too sleepy to get up by now. Five minutes later, I hear the door open and shut and watch as Dylan toddles to the dark living room. I get up so he won't be scared when he realizes Daddy is not in there anymore. I talked to him for just a bit, he gives Daddy a hug and goes back to bed very easily. I realized five more minutes later that he went so willingly because he knew the game wasn't yet over. One more time and he seemed finished and we all got some sleep! I am looking forward to see what happens this evening! In all honesty though, it was a little cute watching him figure this whole freedom thing out!