"Aaaah!"

Lately pretending to sleep has been a fun daytime game for Isaac. He asks to be lifted onto the big bed, where from a standing position he flops face-down onto a pillow. Then he pulls his knees up under him in his sleeping position. Usually I lie down next to him and give an exaggerated sigh, a big satisfied "Aaaah!" much like a person who is grateful to relax after wandering the halls with a restless toddler. Of course after hearing me do this a few times, Isaac learned to say "Aaaah!" too. He does the whole thing on cue, too -- if I say, "Are you tired? Do you need to rest?" down he flops. Don't get your hopes up, though. The "rest" only lasts about five seconds before he laughs and leaps to his feet to flop again.

Anyway, I used to think it was cute, but last night I changed my mind. Last night Isaac woke up at 10:15 p.m. and couldn't get back to sleep for over three hours -- perhaps due to his hand-foot-and-mouth disease, perhaps due to my karma because I boasted about his improved sleep habits in a public forum. I got him back to sleep twice, but both times he woke up as soon as I set him down in the crib, so I brought him into bed with me and Craig. I figured the comfort of the family bed would help a sick boy to sleep better.

But as soon as he got into our bed, he was cheerful and wide awake. He babbled, he stood up and bounced, he poked at us, he laughed when the dog made little barking noises in his sleep. Worst of all, he played the pretending-to-sleep game. Over and over he would lie down and rest his head on the pillow, and I would hope that this time, finally, he was actually going to sleep. Then I would hear that playful "Aaaah!" and realize it was just a game. It became a bitter sound to me.

I felt like saying "Aaaah!" myself, but with completely different intonation.