One thing I want to really try to do this year is blog more. Sure, I did my weekly photo posts last year, but there were months that went by that I didn’t post anything else. I want to write down things that my kids have done so that I’ll have a record of their crazy antics someday. Sure, these stories might bring them lifelong embarrassment, but that’s what moms are for – right?
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G started sleepwalking pretty much as soon as he moved from his crib to his toddler bed. It would always happen while Aaron & I were still awake so we could steer him back to bed with minimal damage (at least I think that’s when it would happen – who knows, maybe he was in the kitchen eating ice cream at 3 am. I guess we’ll never know!). And 9 times out of 10, it happened when he needed to pee.
It took a little bit of trial and error for us to get his sleepwalking figured out. At first it just kind of freaked me out … he wouldn’t respond to me and he’d just kind of stare off into space – weird!!! But after a while, it became an endless source of comedy. Some nights he’d walk out into the family and just plop himself on the couch and start watching TV with us at 11 pm like there was nothing strange about that at all. Other nights he’d walk into the kitchen like he wanted a snack. He would usually respond, but not the right way. “G – are you awake?” “Yes.” “Why are you out here?” “Yes.” “How old are you?” “I don’t know.” One night he walked out and developed some bizarre fear of the vacuum cleaner. He kept pointing at it, not talking, and trying to hide from it. SO so funny.
But most of the time he would walk out of his room while trying to pull his pants down to pee. And he’d be asleep so he’d walk into whatever room his sweet little dreams told him was the right one and he would just go! Aaron & I were constantly shouting “G’s sleepwalking! Hurry!!!” as we would run to steer him in the right direction, lest he mistake our bed for the toilet.
There are a few funny instances involving G and his sleepwalking that stick out in my mind in particular. One day, when G was probably 4, I was doing dishes while the kids were napping. G walked into the kitchen and I thought he was just up from his nap and was ready for his afternoon snack. I heard the snack cupboard door open and then heard this strange noise.
I couldn’t figure out what it was, so I turned around…
And there G was.
Standing in front of the open snack cupboard.
Peeing.
Into the cupboard.
I think it took me a second to really register what was going on before I yelled his name. And as soon as I did, he jumped and it was like you could see the lights turn on in his eyes and he looked at me and looked down like he had no clue what was going on or how he got there. I think I just might have peed a little myself from laughing so hard (and then the laughter turned to tears as I threw away box after box of contaminated food. At least the stuff in tupperware was safe!).
Soon after that, he had another naptime incident. Only this time, he peed into the big tub that held all of the matchbox cars. And with three boys, you can only imagine how many cars were in there.
And then there was the night when R started yelling and I ran into the room to find G standing there with no pants on looking utterly bewildered and R standing there looking shocked and disgusted saying “G was PEEING on me!!!!!!!” And of course the next morning, G had no recollection of this ever happening.
For some reason, moving to this house has pretty much ended his sleepwalking days. I don’t know if it is the action of having to actually climb from his bunk bed that wakes him up or what, but he has only sleep-walked (that we know of!) 2 or 3 times since we’ve lived here. And I’ve gotta say – I kind of miss the entertainment!
