Co-sleeping Is Sometimes Annoying

Last night, around three in the morning, I was woken by Joaquin, standing at my side of the bed, informing me that it was "too dark" in his room, and that he would be sleeping with us for the remainder of the night.

I found him a pillow, moved over a few inches, and he crawled in between Ken and me.  It's a big honking bed, people.  There was no reason for me to even shove over, but I did because I'm a giver.

Joaquin snuggled up next to me as I tried to fall back asleep.  No use.  And now I was really tired and feeling that jittery, raw feeling you get when you know you need to sleep but can't.  I sort of shove Joaquin off me in a not-so-gentle way, and roll over.  It's a big bed, there's got to be some place I can find in it where I can sleep without being touched by husband or child.  

Finally, I find it.  A three inch strip along the very edge.  I settle in, try to calm my mind down...down....down....then suddenly there's a pair of little boy feet pushing against my butt.  I move them off me.  A few minutes later, Joaquin thinks that draping his whole leg over me would be a fantastic idea.  In response, I thrash so wildly that it wakes the dog, who is sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed.  Being woken up, he decides he needs to go outside, and that I'm just the human to make that happen for him.  

Swearing under my breath, I get out of bed, let the dog out, let the dog back in, then shove Joaquin out of my three inch strip.  Ken, in the meantime, is sleeping blissfully, sprawled out in the majority of the king sized bed.

Mercifully, sleep eventually comes.

This afternoon, I was putting Joaquin down for a nap.  I asked him why he came downstairs during the night.  He fixes me with eyes that clearly convey that I am an idiot for asking such a stupid question, and says, "Because it was dark in my room, Mama."  

"Right."  I say.  "But it was nighttime.  That's how rooms get when the sun goes down.  Were you scared of something?"

"No.  I wasn't scared.  It was just dark."  He shakes his head at me, and his whole face is frowning at my inability to grasp his point.

"Do you know you kept putting your feet on me in your sleep?"  I ask.

Suddenly, his face breaks into a huge grin, and he laughs.  "Yeeeeaaaah.  That was funny!"

"Funny?  What?  Why did you do that?  I kept pushing your feet off me."

"I did that because I liked to do it.  It was fun."

We'll see how much fun Mr. Foot-putter-oner has next time the dark wakes him and drives him from his bed.