What To Do?

Well, it's just past 10 o'clock at night and Lizzie has finally, maybe, relaxed enough to fall asleep. We put her to bed around 9 (which is late for her, but considering she slept to nearly 8 this morning, unusual, and she took a late nap, it made sense). For an hour she fought sleep. And I mean really fought it. Full out temper tantrum screaming.

Unable to stand it and knowing that she was "okay" (not in any danger, just overtired and refusing to go to sleep), I went out to my car to sit (don't worry, DOH was in the apartment and knew, obviously, because he could hear, what was going on). In my car, with the door closed, the radio going, I could still hear her screaming. I went back inside after a couple of minutes.

After going back into her room and comforting her for the millionth time, explaining that for both of our sanities she needed to go to sleep, she was at least quiet. And she's been quiet. Thank God.

The unfortunate thing, however, is that this has been happeneing every night for the last week.

Shoot me in the freaking face.

I value my post-Lizzie bedtime, because it's pretty much the only time I get during the day to just sit without any time limit. Or, if I'm exhausted, it's prime sleeping time. And if I'm pooped at 8 and Lizzie isn't ready to get to bed, it's miserable. Like, ready to ram your head against a wall in frustration miserable.

I don't know why there is this sudden change. Sometimes she goes through phases where bedtime isn't easy, but for the most part she goes down like a peach, and this feels different. I don't know, maybe she's feeling the upheaval of the move more than I realized and it's throwing her for a loop? Perhaps there is some anxiety surfacing that I wasn't aware of? Her big hang up as I try to put her to bed is that she doesn't want to be left alone (a big thing lately--she's always worried about being left alone or others being left alone). She knows that she is coming with us to the new house...but maybe that hasn't completely registered yet? Hopefully once we're in bedtime will go back to being easy again. Until then...I'm dreading it.