I mean the term affectionately, of course. He’s been a real booger, especially during nap or bedtime. It’s certainly no secret that we’ve had crap luck when it comes to sleep with our kids. Not one of them slept through the night consistently before the age of two, and Emil’s going on three, and well, it’s complicated.
Standard nap or bedtime shenanigans include 5 or 6 outfit changes (we had to remove the dresser from his room again because of this — back to jail cell mode), 10 – 20 escape attempts, numerous requests for drinks of water, hugs, kisses, or questions (recently to remind him of the word “hamster,” which he needs to know but keeps forgetting — “What’s dis animal?”), followed by the inevitable crying that it’s a “boo-tiful day! Not time to s-yeep!” And good lord the red jammies. ALWAYS with the red jammies!
Sigh. 
Emil, the booger.
Thank you for this post. My 3 1/2 year old is a real tiger regarding all sleep attempts. It’s exhausting for all involved and it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one dealing with the nightmare that is sleep!
Thanks for sharing!
Sleep issues will wear you down. We’ve been pretty fortunate on this end with both girls – they were sleeping champs as little tiny ones. But the nighttime rituals (and stalling) techniques can get really old. And I hate that, because I love evenings and feel like they should be our best, calmest, coziest times. Occasionally, but not often enough for me.
Our latest thing is the five-year-old searching her body for boo-boo’s requiring bandaids. Sometimes it’s just a freckle, but it’s OH-SO-PAINFUL! And then five minutes later the bandaid has been pulled off and she needs another. On endless repeat.
What a little trickster! You guys have wonderful patience. I have to say that I have become really strict around sleep. Obviously not with Ruby since she still a baby and I don’t do well with crying, so she wakes before sunrise half the time… but Wyatt tries to say he’s hungry, thirsty, needs this and that and I won’t have any of it! I’m mean 😉