Sleepy time

The little darlings napping together, June 2006.

Our kids couldn't be more different when it comes to sleep. For Reed, sleep is a necessary evil. He hates that he has to sleep, and would rather be doing something else. And when things conspire to keep us up late, or make us short on sleep, he manages fine. I think he's a lot like Tod in that way. Oftentimes even though Reed's gone to bed an hour or more before I do, he's still awake when I go to bed. He listens to podcasts or sports on the radio, or music. Eventually he sleeps. As far as we know, he isn't using his iPod to play games when he's supposed to be sleeping - well maybe we've caught him doing that once or twice, but it's not a regular thing.

Amy, on the other hand, is just like her Mom. We need our sleep. If she goes a couple of nights without the usual amount of sleep, well look out. Be warned. Stay back 100 feet. Don't look her in the eye. It's not going to be pretty. Lack of sleep definitely has a major effect on her behavior. And mostly she falls asleep pretty quickly at night, though she'd tell you differently. But mostly we know that it's best for everyone if we don't keep Amy up late more than one night in a row. Sometimes we can bribe her into taking a nap, and sometimes she'll even fall asleep during the day on her own, if she's had a couple of late nights. Then we're all happy!