We had a very busy morning; rushing out the door after dealing with a fresh 6 inches of snow, the mental and physical exertions of dance class (it's tiring to pointedly ignore Mummy, Nana, Miss Candace and other obediently twirling toddlers for 45 minutes), groceries, playing cowgirls and construction workers, lunch and then finally, nap time. Edward and I were pretty sure they'd sleep well, and that illusion was reinforced by their sweetly dozy dispositions as I settled them one at a time in their cribs.
... Except, they were WIRED. Now, rest assured that as the parents of two year old triplets, Edward and I have experienced every permutation and combination of sleep and non-sleep that anyone can imagine - many, many times over. We don't faze too easily. But this was the first time in recent memory that they decided en masse, to party through their nap. We often listen to them laugh and sing for up to an hour after they go to bed at night, and unless Keith starts to pine for Daddy, or a soother falls to the floor, we're awfully good at ignoring them. But naptime, well, naptime is sacred. It's that breath of freedom that we get in the middle of an insanely busy day. It's our time to recharge, tidy up, have a cup of tea and occasionally, accomplish something useful.
Instead, we were treated to the most rousing chorus of Itsy Bitsy Spider (x 200) we had ever heard. Squeals, bed bouncing, peals of hysterical laughter, wall thumping - it was the toddler version of a New Year's frat bash with $1 shots. In a moment of particular euphoria, the boys ripped off their socks and tossed them around the room like confetti. Edward and I went in twice to encourage them (well, my attempt might have involved some yelling) to s.e.t.t.l.e d.o.w.n. I was told to "get".
So, in defeat, I plugged my headphones into the computer and put on something loud. Edward managed to doze through a portion of the festivities by cranking up a TV program that featured a lot of gunshots and car chases. And sometime at around 3:30, they finally slept. They usually nap from around 1:30 to 4:00, so it was with gritty determination that I roused them at 4:30. We have learned the hard way that messing up the schedule to compensate for earlier transgressions is very unwise.
Keith was so tired that all he could do was put his head on his mattress and sob. The evidence of their good time lay in ruins around them... socks on the floor, stuffies in different cribs, cribs skewed in every direction, bedding lying in crumpled heaps. Edward and I went in reasonably annoyed with them - and definitely unsympathetic - but when we saw just how miserable they were, we couldn't bear to be upset.
As for tonight's bath and bedtime.... I'll spare you a detailed description other to say that it involved a lot of tears and screaming. Maybe they'll sleep well tonight? Stay tuned.
The Aftermath
Colin feeling rather blue, and Evelyn patting him on the back saying "It's OK Colin, it's OK".
One sad and tired Keith
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