Please just go to SLEEP already!!

It's 11:22pm. My kids have been officially "tucked in" in their beds for 1.5 hours.

Damon has drifted off to Dreamland without much protest. Or, if he IS still awake, he's at least being silent and staying in his bed, which is fine with me. Avery, on the other hand, is still standing at the gate at her door, trying her darnedest to look pathetic and work on my pity (NOT working, by the way), and screaming at me.

I will never understand why young children think bedtime is a fate worse than death. I wish someone would force me to go to bed every night. Okay, well maybe I'm lying... a little. I'm a nightowl by nature and always have been, and going to sleep in not my most favorite thing, but still... I really don't think I ever screamed like a banshee when my mother tucked me in at night. Of course I didn't. Not me. Avery acts like I've sentenced her to death every night while I'm waiting for her to give up and fall asleep.

Right now, she's sitting on her bed, but she's hysterically crying and I'm saying a silent prayer that she doesn't choke herself and vomit all over her bed. Seriously... it's that bad. In fact, Damon (yes, he IS still awake) just yelled from his bed and told her NOT to choke herself and throw up. Good grief.

As with most things "Avery," I keep reminding myself that I've gone through this once already... Damon wasn't always a cooperative 6 year old... in fact, when he was Avery's age, he was ten times worse (think Supernanny bedtime horror stories; that was Damon). But, we survived it, and Damon grew up on us, and now he's very easy-going and is in his bed right now offering advice to his hysterical little sister (that part is actually kinda cute! lol).

I know that one day I'll look at Avery and wonder where my little girl went... I will miss lots of things about her being small. But, THIS bedtime nightmare will NOT be one of them.