Last night, for the first time in THREE WEEKS, we had a basically tearless bedtime. This morning I woke up at 6:20am and thought "wow, I have slept so late today". I am not saying these things to brag about my brilliant life, but to say that *maybe* twin sleep is getting better and *maybe* this is the start of me being a functioning human-person again and not just the "time for bed at 8pm" person I have been for 3 weeks.
When things start to get getter with kids/sleep one always asks "what changed"? Sleep is basically the most superstitious topic in parenting small kids.
So what changed last night, in our first good bedtime in 3 weeks?
We found someone else to do bedtime. A teenage girl. The BEST toddler and kid entertainment that exists.
When I found out blogger extraordinaire Elisabeth was planning a long Europe adventure I reached out with a Wales visit pitch, and since she arrived on Wednesday I have both loved having her around *and* loved watching our kids hang out!
We have basically been looking for a Belle since we had kids. I told Andy many times about how teenage year old girls are *the best* for small kids and Belle has been even better than I imagined.
On Friday Belle joined us for school pick up for Ezra and Lily. Andy asked why. Why would a teenage girl want to spend time with kids and toddlers? Because that's how being an awesome teenage year old girl works.
We even managed to eat dinner outside Friday evening, even though the weather said chance of rain all day. And her kids didn't mind foraging berries in our garden (because we are apparently raising feral welsh suburban children):
After dinner, Belle ran twin bedtime! At one point she asked for help, because Andy had closed the stair gate and she was stuck in a room with a nappie-less Clara yelling "need a wee! Need the potty!" while Aubrey tried to take off her own nappy. However, by 7:30, she read them a story, and by 8pm everyone (even Ezra and Lily!) was asleep.
For the first night in weeks, Andy and I hung out after bedtime and even watched a show. I used ChatGBP to help find something to watch, and it suggested Big Mistakes, which seems a bit... meh so far.
- Ezra and I are excited to explore South Wales with Elisabeth and co.
- Lily, Clara, and Aubrey are excited to go to a 5 year old's birthday party at a soft play.
- Andy is excited to take the big kids biking tomorrow
I realize I am the worst scientist, because one good bedtime is not a trend, but this morning I can be optimistic it might be.
Maybe we will survive this sleep transition. Maybe.
Have you watched any good shows recently? How do I find a teenage year old girl to help us with our kids all the time?
Here's the thing: teenage girls are a bit rough on their parents but very sweet to everyone else. So there should be a surplus of teen girl parents who would be willing to lend out their girls for a few nights to get some peace. It's a win for everyone!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time with Elisabeth & Fam!
This is Lisa - blogger is being a pain today! I am so glad you got a break from bedtime. That is the best!! I’m envious of all the time you are getting with Elisabeth and her family! And I agree that teenage girls are excellent babysitters. Ours is a sophomore in high school and turned 16 this past year. She’s been babysitting for us for the last 2 years and the boys love her! And the best part is that she lives on our block!!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed that bedtime goes equally smoothly tonight and I am very happy to share my teenager with you. She has announced that your kids are her new best friends and asked me first thing this morning if she could "pop down and help with bedtime again." I didn't figure you'd mind :)
ReplyDeleteOne time, with Kyria, we were doing a 36 Questions game and one of the questions is what do you wish your parents had done differently. I was holding my breath until Belle answered: I wish they had given me a little sister.
YOU have provided her with three surrogate little sisters! Very much a win-win.
And yes to Birchie's comment above. I get showered with compliments about Belle and she really *is* a darling. She can also be an absolute bear, as is the wont of all teenage girls, but she saves that for her little brother and parents.
Thanks for hosting us for such a delicious dinner last night and for the incredible mining adventure today. Both events have been my top highlights from our time in Wales so far <3
So great you had Belle put the kids down!!
ReplyDeleteI am watching two great shows: Widow’s Bay and Half Man. Very different but very good bit in picky about my shows.
Daria
Oh, I love that you got good sleep, and was not expecting it to be because Elisabeth and Belle were there! How amazing! I’m glad you’re having a wonderful time, and hope you get some more good sleep before they leave. Also, gosh, what if you paid a teenager to come help once in a while at bedtime? Maybe that would be weird and they need to connect, I don’t know…
ReplyDeleteI have asked around and I don't think most teenagers babysit here! I don't really know many teens so that also might affect it, but it seems like our area of the UK most people either hire babysitters from nursery or trained people, or they have parents/grandparents to help. I loved babysitting as a kid, so maybe there's just a cultural difference over here?
DeleteI'm thinking I'll hire Belle as a summer sitter someday :-)