To sleep, perchance to dream?

Julia really is a fairly good sleeper. Well, all I have to compare her to is Caroline, who quite possibly might have been the worst sleeper ever. She had to be rocked or swung to sleep every night, and we usually got her to take naps by driving her around in the car. Julia, on the other hand, can go to sleep on her own and doesn't like to be rocked to sleep. She fusses for a little bit, rubs her face into the bed, usually scooches her head into a corner of the crib, and then goes to sleep. (After which I go into her room, scoot her back into the middle of the crib, and turn her head a little bit to the side . . . makes me feel a little better knowing there is some space for her to get some air!) She can nap for a good long while except, if I leave her door unattended, I find this:



Caught in the act! Of course I have tried to explain to Caroline that JuJu cannot sleep if she climbs into the crib too, and I have told her to stay out of the baby's room while she's napping, but you can see what good that does. So now, if Caroline even takes a step in the direction of Julia's room, I immediately start with the "Do not go into your sister's room!" To which Caroline innocently replies, "I'll not get into the crib, Mama." (Yes, she really says "I'll not" -- I have no idea why she says that instead of "I won't," and I don't know where she heard it, but it's cute to hear that come out of a three-year-old's mouth.) She continues, "I'm just going to check on the baby." Yeah right kid, I'm not as dumb as I look. But who can resist some sisterly love:


As for Caroline herself these days, she still has a hard time going to sleep most nights. Now she's queen of procrastination ("Wait! I need some water! Please just one more little story? Come open my door just a little more!") Usually Jason handles the bedtime for her b/c I'm feeding Julia. But when it's up to me, I just tell her that she can talk to her animals as much as she wants as long as she does not come out of her room. I know that she'll go to sleep eventually. You can lead a horse to the bed but you can't make him go to sleep, so to speak. Anyway, my philosophy led to this scene one night:

At least Bobo the sheep, Dora, Winnie the Pooh, and her baby are comfortable. Apparently no one requires a pillow or covers. Hey, it's a hot summer this year.