He escaped

Long story short: Last weekend we flew across the country to visit Hubby. We got back on Sunday and I figured Gabe would sleep HARD (as he didn't sleep too well on the trip and I was worn out, so I figured he would be too).
Instead, Gabriel decided to sleep until I came to bed (sometime btw 11 and 12) and then wake up every half hour. Finally, after trying to give him something to drink, give him something to eat, cuddle him, rock him, give him a pacifier, give him a blanket, give him a toy, etc...and nothing worked, I decided he needed to just be sad (aka cry) for a bit and wear himself out. After a little bit, he finally started dying down. YES, I thought. I can finally sleep. (It's approximately 2:30.) And then...THUD. (insert ginormous cry here). Me, being half asleep, is all freaked out because I don't even know my own name, much less why there was a thud and Gabriel is crying. I rush outta bed and find him, yes, on the floor. So I pick him up, make sure he's not broken, and rock him and cuddle him.
Perhaps I should've mentioned it before: I can't sleep when I'm holding my son...or even just touching him...or even when he's anywhere close to me. I had horrid nightmares during pregnancy that I would accidentally suffocate him...and still have said nightmares sometimes, although they're becoming less and less frequent. Other than that, I'm a huge fan of cosleeping and think it makes logical sense. I just can't do it myself...
But after that I couldn't bring myself to put him back in the crib. So he laid in bed with me for the rest of the night, while I kept checking on him to make sure he was still alive (aka didn't get a concussion or have a broken arm I didn't see, etc).

The following day, I was all concerned about how I'd follow this experience up. I know the crib converts, but I think it's missing the toddler bed piece and we only have the pieces to convert it to a double bed (which I'm not gonna do where we're living now). But I don't want to buy a toddler bed and then just have more stuff to store either... So I decide to just put him in his crib again and HOPE he doesn't remember that he escaped the night before. Luckily, he didn't. He remained caged.

The next night (last night), he did the whole crying-every-30-minutes-thing again. So I finally decided to let him soothe himself (after putting blankets down on the floor around his crib in case he did escape). Finally, the crying died down...and (while trying not to move, because he hears me each time I roll over, etc) I peeked out to make sure he was still in his crib and not laying on the floor (and I just missed the loud thud). And sure enough: He's there... But he's not just there. He's standing in his crib, facing me/my bed, with both of his arms flung over the top of the crib, just standing there...STARING at me. CREEPY!!! I don't care if it's my own child. That creeped me out BAD! So I got up and cuddled him some more (in hopes that he wouldn't decided to just stare at me all night long).

It's sorta funny (in a not funny at all type of way) that he wakes up so much at night. When we did sleep training about a year ago, we got him into a GREAT routine where he would wake up 1 or less times a night...and would sleep for about 12 hours straight. Goodness do I miss those days. Now, we're back to the first 9 months of his life, where he'd wake up at least once every three hours. But, and here's the *best* part: He'll sleep straight through (most of the time) until I come to bed...and then will wake up for the last time usually at about 5:00...but then wants to sleep in past the alarm. What? I mean, really? Blerg, says I. Very, very blerg.

Cutest booger ever

Long story short: Gabriel was a crankster this weekend. And when I say crankster, I mean CRANKEEEEEEE. Plus, he decided to head-butt me four times yesterday (although I'm 95% sure that they weren't on purpose, but they still hurt...)
That said, he was also uber clingy this weekend. Normally, I love that, but we're talking he even wanted to sit on my lap (but only if my arms were around him)...when I was urinating. Yeah. I'm not joking. "That doesn't exactly work for me honey" doesn't interpret to an almost 2 yr old's ears...
Plus, this weekend, he was also VERY clingy with Kit Gizmo (nickname Beep Beep). Last night when we were eating dinner, Gabriel started calling for her half-way through the meal...and looking around terrified b/c she wasn't in his direct sight (she was laying on the bed)... He finally stopped eating period just so he could be all done and go to see Beep Beep. This morning, he kept calling for her and going up and petting her. And started calling for her and looking around frantically when we were in the car driving for daycare. I'm glad he loves her and all, but what's up with his uber attachment to her these past few days? It's adorable...and she does so well with him, but it's still so weird.
Me? Birth a weird kid? No way (insert sarcastic tone here). Ba ha ha.

What a trickster

So my good friends Amber and Phil helped me move my last two furniture items out of the house. It was Thursday and I'm supposed to be closing on the house either Tuesday or Thursday of this upcoming week (fingers crossed). So, for the time being, I'm still sleeping on my cocoon air mattress (it turns into a cocoon by the time I awaken because it has a slight leak...but I'm fine with it; it's sorta homey) and Gabriel is now sleeping in his pack'n'play (which, after 19 months I finally bought a cover for...and found a great deal on an organic one that's uber soft). So when we get home from daycare today, I'm prepping dinner and Gabriel is scarily quiet (which normally means he's doing something bad). So I seek him out and find him playing happily (and quietly) in his room. Okay. Whatever. I'll totally take it. I don't realize until I'm "rocking" him (since the rocker/glider is no longer in the house, I "rock" him while sitting on an ottoman)...that his "playing quietly" actually means he was putting all of the (maybe twenty small) toys into his pack'n'play. Yes, he only has a few little things, like rubber duckies and mega bloks, etc in the house b/c most of the stuff is moved out. But he made a point to put as many toys as possible into his pack'n'play so they'd be waiting for him come nighttime. It was hilarious. I burst out laughing. And scared the poor child...
P.S. I do let him keep Mr Glo while sleeping, his fuzzy monster blanket, and I now let him keep his favorite B car in his crib/now pack'n'play. It was just hilarious to me.