You say you want a revolution ...

I knew this day was coming. Sam and Ben have begun staging the official coup against their tyrant parents and bedtime rules. Most kids protest bedtime/sleeping at some point, but Sam and Ben are definitely younger than most when they begin these rebellions, or so it seems. I can only imagine it's because they bolster one another and act as "tag-team partners" to work to keep us awake all. night. long.

Sam is usually a very good sleeper -- in his crib by 7pm, and we usually don't hear a peep from him until 6ish the next morning. Ben, however, hates to sleep and will usually wake up once around 9pm for a snuggle, and then he is usually in his crib and quiet until 5:30ish the next morning, although I think the only reason he actually sleeps is because he avoids napping during the day at all costs. They have been sleeping through the night for months -- and I am used to that and I expect that! I didn't mind at all waking up to feed them and pump when they were infants -- but now, I couldn't imagine doing that night after night!

It started two nights ago. Ben woke up around 3am -- and decided he was done sleeping for the night. Not good. But I thought it was just a fluke, maybe he had napped for too long the previous day. Apparently not. Because last night, Ben was awake and screaming for a period of time (from about 9 to 10), and then Sam was awake and upset from about 11pm to 4am. Are you kidding me??? To stop his screaming, I actually took him, put him in his carseat, started the car (with the AC, of course!) and sat in the driveway with him for 30 minutes until he calmed down. He finally fell asleep around 4:15 -- and then Ben was awake at 5:15.

Needless to say, the boys will be spending some time with Dr. Ferber tonight to "remind" them how to sleep. I know a lot of other moms are anti-CIO, but with twins, it's hard not to believe in this theory -- because if I go in and get one of the boys, the other will see me, and want out, too. Hopefully, they will be so exhausted from their long night, they will both sleep soundly all night tonight.

My brother staged a similar coup against my mom and his 9pm bedtime -- but he was 5, I was 3, and my mom was pregnant with my little sister. So they came to teh agreement -- he had no bedtime so long as he got up without a problem in the morning and continued doing well at school. I can't make that same sort of agreement with 17-month old toddlers!