After settling back into my bed, I heard the the clicking of her lamp on and off. Not a good sign. I tried to ignore it, but after thinking that she had finally fallen back asleep, I heard the call. “Mommy, I need you!” So I returned to her lair. And this time, I crawled into bed next to her. And I started to fall asleep myself. But as she gets bigger and as she adds more and more stuffed animals to her bed, there’s less room for me. I remained with her until I thought she was sleeping again (the heavy breathing was a clue), and then I returned back to my room.

The calm lasted all of three minutes and the cries started again. I was starting to get grumpy – the night before I had only slept five hours and I was TIRED. So I returned to my little four-year old. And after a brief conversation with her, I decided to take action. I carried her into my bed and let her sleep with her Papa. I joined the stuffed animals in her bed and slept like a baby.