I'll have a Momma sandwich please - Daddy on the side!

It's 9:30pm and Mommy just lullabye'd both mi' laddos to sleep on Momma's bed. Daddy's out on the town for the first time in donkeys years - and probably his last for a wee whiley!

Momma sandwiched between the boys at 37 weeks pregnant

Snuggling in between both boys on the family bed with lights out for a few rounds of Ten Green Bottles, Incy Wincy spider and The Wheels on the Bus seems to be just the ticket for getting them to nod off in sync without too much bother - well at least it's worked a treat the last two nights!

Hmmmm, come to think of it, if we can do that in Momma's bed, surely we can mimic the magic on the choo choo beds in big kid's room....?

Granted, I usually have to wrestle the littlest down a few times before he gives up the ghost (not without a frustrated wail and a few attempts at whacking Mommy first though).

Tonight's performance abruptly ended with my eldest shushing me. I think I was messing up the tune to Rock a Bye Baby (in my defense that's a hard one).

He's getting to be a harsh critic with Momma; "Shhh - Don't sing Mommy!" he commands using the imperative, and holding one finger to his lips, while pointing the other accusingly at me. Come to think of it, even our littlest has signed 'all done' and cried urgently "done done!" when I've broken out in terrible tune before.

They must have their Daddy's ears.

But whatever, they'll usually humor Mommy with a few nursery rhymes - especially ones that include actions - and now they're both fast asleep, laying side by side on Mommy's bed (with a pillow spacer to protect from stray knees and elbows) - only two hours behind schedule!

Oh, who am I kidding.. what schedule?

Since summer kicked in, and Daddy's been staying home all day, our routines (what few we had) have all gone to pot. I'm still managing to pull off a synced afternoon nap now and then - but not always. And bedtime seems to get later every night!

Our eldest, who had been sleeping most nights through on his choo choo bed, is sneaking into our room earlier and earlier each night. Momma doesn't help matters when I randomly let him have a sleepover on our bed whenever I feel like it. I guess I'm trying to squeeze in as much snuggle time with my boys before baby joins the party. 

And when big kid comes climbing onto the bed - usually right on top of Momma mountain in the middle of the night  - I can't help but smile and pull him into my arms. It often feels like a million years since I last saw him at bedtime. 

A few months ago I was anxious to get them both moved out into big kid's bedroom to make way for baby girl's arrival. Now I figure it's no big deal. When it gets a little overcrowded in there, Momma and baby girl can move out into the spare room, instead of the boys. I'll probably get more sleep then than I do now!

It'll be like a baby bachelor pad in Mommy and Daddy's room - all the dudes together.

The only problem I can see with that little scenario is both kids affinity for snuggling up to Momma. It doesn't matter where we all start out - or how much crawling to free space Momma does during the night - both boys nearly always end up clinging to me like barnacles.

Most mornings these days Momma wakes up sandwiched between the two (well technically three) kiddos. Often big kid is wrapped around my head with his little arms clinging to my neck, while the youngest is tucked under my chin with his body molded around his baby sister's bubble.  

When our littlest can't find me ('cos I've snook out for a fried egg butty, or to steal a bit of blogging time) he usually loses his rag with Daddy. It's not often that he'll take Daddy as a cuddle buddy substitute.

In fact poor Daddy rarely gets a snuggle buddy. He's always left out 'on the side' in the cold. I remember a rare moment, maybe last month when I woke up beside a Daddy sandwich - what a refreshing change it was. I'm not sure if he'd fooled the kids by taking a shower before bed or what.

Maybe Momma had been preggo parping unwittingly in the night....

For once I wasn't overheating, or trapped in a back breaking position with a dead arm cushioning a toddlers head. I was even free to roll over (well barely with baby bump calling the shots) but as nice as it was to have some wriggle room and to be able to take a breather from snuggle-buggling the boys, I admit to feeling a little put out by their sudden partiality for Daddy. 

The truth is I love our co-sleeping set-up. I wouldn't do it otherwise. Some Mommas think I'm mental, but I just feel lucky to get double the time with the boys - as knackering as it may be. 

It's such a cliche, I know, but they grow up so fast and one day (all too soon) these cuddly nights will be nothing more than nostalgia...