I. HATE. BEDTIME.

Yes, I said it.  I.  HATE.  HATE.  HATE.  BEDTIME.

I used to love bedtime.  From the time Nate was 7 weeks old, he's been sleeping 12+ hours a night.  We never really had to have him cry it out, rock him to sleep, or pat/rub his back to get him to go to sleep.  We've been lucky.  Until now.

In the past, if Nate wasn't tired, he would play quietly in his room until he finally fell asleep.  This is completely different.  It started a few weeks back.  Nate simply didn't want to go to sleep.  I don't know if he just wasn't tired, or he was being a typical kid who stalls during bedtime.  First it was a him having to go to the bathroom, then he wanted a glass of water, then he wanted one of us to lay with him.  Enough was enough, we left his room and went downstairs to watch some TV.  For 2 hours, we could hear Nate jumping around his room, screaming, and playing.  After the first 30 minutes of this, I went upstairs to check on him.  Ugh--Nate was naked, his bed was pushed into the middle of the room, his bookshelf had been turned on it's side, and his coat rack had been ripped off the wall.  SERIOUSLY!?!?!?  I cleaned things up and told him to get in bed.  90 more minutes of this and he finally fell asleep.  I hate bedtime.

This is what we have been dealing with on a nightly basis, and it completely SUCKS.  We have cleaned up his carpet numerous times (use your own imagination), rehung posters, remade his bed, thrown away broken hangers, replaced the heater vent cover (yup, the heater vent cover).  We've dressed and redressed this little monster, we have cleaned up a turned over bookshelf (which no longer resides in his room), put more Shout on his rug than I'd like to think about, cleaned up socks, underwear, hats, gloves, shoes, and toys.  I feel like I go up and down the stairs more times from 7:30-11PM then I do all day.  I hate bedtime.

Is this payback for being so good about going to sleep for the past 6 1/2 years?  Is he going through a phase (which he cycles in and out of every 2-3 months or so)?  Are we going to have to deal with this for eternity?  Can I put him back in his crib????  AAAAHHHH!!!!

This is what bedtime looks like in my house--

Pretty fun, huh?

I.  HATE.  BEDTIME.