Quest

I have been on a quest for a better night's sleep. I've been placing my blame for poor rest squarely on my mattress. It wasn't that old; about four years, but it had become too soft. It was too soft to the point where I could hardly sleep a night through with out waking up in the wee hours with a sore back. Getting up in the morning was an interesting process of trying to roll to the side and hoisting myself into a sitting position in order to ease the kink from my back. Just thinking about it hurts... when I did manage to get out of bed, my feet even hurt.

So, my sore back and feet made a rash bedding decision that resulted in the purchase of a rock hard bed. I could sleep through the night, but only to wake in the morning with a sore shoulder. I think sleeping on the floor would have been more comfortable and had I not been so stubborn, I might have dragged my pillow from the bed to do just that.

Back to the store I went. This time looking for some advise and not just the most firm bed in stock. I was so eager for a decent night's sleep that I even took the sales person's advise and spent an exorbitant sum on two  new temporpedic pillows.

I'm starting to like the pillows, although they take some getting used to... and the new bed is great... but it's just now occurring to me that one of the biggest (or should I say smallest) reasons for my lack of sleep is the littlest of the little people.

Ellie makes her way into bed with Monte and me around 2 AM most nights. At first it was easier to just make room in the king-size bed for her... but now in addition to herself, she brings her pillow, comforter, blankie and a baby along for the ride. Then she tosses and turns until she has taken up the majority of the space in the middle, leaving Monte and I perched on our respective edges tugging on our comforter for a little bit of warmth.

I've tried taking Ellie back into her own bed, a process which is met with extreme disapproval and a great deal of vocalization on her part. Needless to say, it could wake the neighbors.... so we try to deal with it. Pleading just a little bit on some nights for her to sleep in her own bed, but many times just rolling over and hoping she settles in quickly, before the alarm goes off and it's time to start the day in earnest.

At some point in time, I must have thought this little midnight marauder was cute... cute enough to snap a picture... but today, I'm too tired to think it's cute... and I'm wondering if the mattress store has anything in stock that can solve my new little problem.