Bed for 4

This is a typical scene of us in the morning, minus Robert on his 1/4 of the bed. It was on and off throughout the earlier part of the year, but became a little more permanent since the end of October.

After the OC fires, Savannah and Gaby came down with their first round of sniffles, coughs and low fevers. I had a minor case myself. We were all better by Thanksgiving, then sick again two days after.

The second round was the worst! All of us, including Robert--he rarely gets sick--had the cold and flu. In order to keep an eye on the girls, and get enough rest ourselves, the four of us were piled on and cozied up in our queen-size bed. Freezing, then burning up...coughing and sneezing, we survived our sick season together.

We are all much better, and are trying to wean the girls back into their own beds. So far, Savannah has made it back to the loveseat (which is still in our room) and Gaby will occasionally let us put her down in the co-sleeper. We were successful one or two nights to have both girls sleeping in their own bedroom! Still, no matter where the girls begin their night of sleep, you can guarantee that by 2:30 am, Savannah would be up and crawling back into our bed, nestled between Mommy and Daddy, or sometimes on the end of the bed next to Gaby. As for Gaby, she is also up at that time for a snack--I'm starting to wonder if that is just an excuse to snuggle next to Mommy.

Everyone is always telling me that sharing the bed is a habit that should be nipped in the bud. Believe me, we have tried. Somehow, this has helped us survive the past two and a half years of what could have been lost sleep. Robert needs sleep in order to work a full day, especially driving throughout Orange and LA county. I need enough shut eye--I'd call it sleep if I was actually sleeping the whole night through--to keep up with the girls when they are wide awake.

Secretly, I do enjoy waking up to the sounds of my girls giggling and "talking" to each other. Savannah's sweetest moments with Gaby are during the time when they are both just waking up. I also don't mind so much that their hands and feet are tucked under me, or that Savannah is almost using my head as a pillow. How much longer will I have these moments? Someday, when they think themselves too old to cuddle with me, I will once again yearn for times like these.

* Babes, thank you for taking this picture! It was a great surprise to find, and one that I will treasure always!