Through The Long Night

It took two hours to get my son to sleep last night. Not the baby, he was out like a light at 8:03, it was his big brother. There were the usual delays, crawling up the stairs on all fours, taking forever to brush his teeth, needing a bandaid, the inevitable glass of water. Then there was coming downstairs to find out when I'd be up to check on him.
"As soon as I feed the cat, finish the dishes, and wipe down your brother's high chair so fruit flies aren't dancing around it in the morning," I said.
"I'll just wait for you on the stairs," he offered.
"No, go back upstairs to bed," I answered.
Then I have to follow him back up and put the sheet over him.
"Is that a bug on the wall there."
"Yes, it's a lucky spider, now go to sleep."
Then I had to close the window next to the bed because he felt some raindrops (it wasn't raining).
Then daddy came home and went upstairs to talk to him and help him fix his pajama top which was on inside out.
Then I had to come in and open the window because it was hot in his room, which was my fault for originally putting that idea in his head in an effort to change his mind about closing the window in the first place.
Then I brought some work notes to the bedroom and rewrote them so I'd be upstairs with him. Usually I fold clothes, but there wasn't any laundry last night on account of the rain.
Then the Latin lullaby CD ended and I put on Guys and Dolls for him.
Then I finished my with story about adult music classes, wrote some PR for the Falmouth Walk, and an angry letter to the "Toys to Grow On" catalogue for featuring a toddler on one of those battery-powered electric ride-on toys on the cover of their 2006 catalogue (aren't we in the middle of a childhood obesity epidemic?).
Then I went downstairs for a second glass of wine.
He was asleep when I came back upstairs.

song: Through The Long Night • artist: Billy Joel