midnight groundhog

Although I have been waiting to wake up from the dream I've been living in, Malcolm remains a great little sleeper.

He goes down in his crib with very little fuss (if any) and settles in to sleep within minutes. Then he continues sleeping for a good twelve hours straight ... Sometimes more if I'm really lucky!

It probably helps that the noises that come from outside of his room are nearly invisible to his sleeping ears. Police and/or ambulance sirens screaming down the street don't bother him. The clattering sound of pots and pans being put away in the kitchen (right below his bedroom) are of no consequence. The back screen door slamming shut (and shaking the house) when someone leaves or comes in doesn't startle him. His father yelling to his mother from downstairs (it seems that on more than one occasion, my husband forgets that we, indeed, have a baby) doesn't even phase him.

What can I say?

When he's down for the count, he's really down for the count.

However, drop a pin or let out the tiniest of whispers inside of his room and the kid literally springs to life from a dead sleep.

As mentioned in yesterday's fashion post, the weather in Cleveland was much more fall-like last week, dropping to become quite cool in the middle of the night. Malcolm typically sleeps with a fan going in the window (for the air flow and the noise) and, although he's been going to bed in little footy sleepers, I was concerned that he might get cold ... So I made the mistake of going in to turn his fan off.

It was about midnight, a good three hours since he had been put down (so, he was most definitely in a good, deep sleep) when I crept into the dark room and made my way toward the fan. As I passed the glider and ottoman in the corner, being very careful not to bump either of them, I stepped on a floorboard that let out a loud CRACK! Instantaneously, Malcolm shot up in his crib ... Not much unlike a groundhog does when it sees something larger approaching (or like this little guy, dramatic music included). His open, sleepy eyes were just barely visible in the glowing light of his baby monitor and they had spotted me. Continuing with my mission (even though I had obviously FAILED), I reached to turn off the fan.

The scream the kid let out in the meantime was deafening.

And all it took was a creaky little floorboard.

Luckily for me, he went back to sleep with little coaxing.

Maybe we need to invest in some bedtime earmuffs for his supersonic bedroom ears.