I Like Sleep.

This little trapeze artist learned how to climb out of her crib two days ago. Actually, it was 2 nights ago. You know how the exciting stuff always happens when you're snuggled in bed, drifting off to sleep? Well that's what happened Sunday night. Our baby came toddling into our room.

"Look who can get out of her bed!" my husband says to me, a mixture of pride and fatigue in his voice.

I must confess if you haven't figured it out already--I am a Slacker Mom. I like to have personal space at bedtime. I'm the one who lets the kids snuggle in with us for a few seconds, then takes them back up to bed & lies with them there for a while until their fears are diminished. I'm the Mean One (At least at night--Daddy admits that he is too tired and dysfunctional at night to get up with the kids. If I had a nickel for every vomit, potty break, scary dream, etc....)

"Look at her standing there," Mark whispers to me as we lie in the darkness and see the silhouette of our youngest standing at the foot of the bed.

"My life is over," I say as I come to the realization that our chances of watching the 10:00 news uninterrupted or me getting in a workout at 6:00 a.m. are now over, now that Wynne can climb out of her crib at all hours of the night and wee morning. I return our baby to her bed 4 times, shut the door to her room, listen to her screams, and eventually rock an exhausted little girl to sleep.

And then I remember the 2 most blessed words known to Slacker Parents: crib tent . Ah yes, the crib tent!! Somehow our eldest stayed in her bed as a toddler and didn't need one of these Modern Miracles of Slacker Parenthood. But when our son was 9 months old and climbing out of his bed, I did some research and found this sanity-and-sleep-saver. (I can just feel the "shame on you"s coming from Attachment Parents right about now.) Yes, I have an illness. It's called the Need for Sleep. Hello, my name is Amy and I am a Slacker Mom who uses a Crib Tent.

So yesterday I dug out the tent, put it together, and let Wynnie play under it while I attached it to her bed. Like her older brother and twin sisters, she loves the airy canopy. With mixed feelings of mommy guilt and joy, I took this picture.

I know, she doesn't look too thrilled in the picture, but she likes her tent. And trust me, she'll thank me in about 30 years when she comes to borrow it for her own baby!!

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8