Pond dreams

Moss has been having trouble sleeping in long enough in the mornings.  When he can make it until 7, his nap is longer, bedtime goes smoother, he's more calm and alert etc, but recently he's been waking up at 5:30/6.  I have a hypothesis that he needs a good cry to start his day -- on the days I give in and get up with him at 6 he seems happy at first, but then moods devolve until naptime, which is an incomplete reset button.  But on the days when he wakes up at 6 and I tell him it's not time to get up yet, he cries and thrashes and moans and kicks as I tell him I understand, yet by about 6:30 he's calm and reflective.  Sometimes he'll fall back asleep, but even when he doesn't the day proceeds much more humanely.

Saturday night, we tried an earlier bedtime experiment.  The fact that he went to bed at 7 instead of 8 and still woke up at 6 confirms to me that he probably needs the extra sleep.  In fact, after a notably vigorous 40 minute protest, he did indeed fall back into a deep sleep for even 90 more minutes.

As he gently stirs at 8, his eyes flutter and I hear a duck whispering to me.  *quah quah, quah quah*  Then his eyes open wide and clear, staring straight up --  Duck.  Duck.  -- he declares matter-of-factly.  Then his face brightens and he happily tells the duck of his dreams Byyye! Byyyyye! as the vision recedes and he turns to me.  And Sunday was lovely.