It's common knowledge around here that I often have trouble sleeping, right? My sleeplessness has multiple causes and on any given night it might be triggered by any or all of the following: joint or back pain, an over-active brain that just won't quiet down, being able to go to sleep but waking up at 3am and then not getting back to sleep, over-active bladder (yeah, I'm at that stage in life, I guess), or someone (who shall remain nameless because I love him) snoring next to me and my ear plugs not working well enough. Or sometimes there is NO good reason, I just can't sleep.
My doctor, when consulted about the insomnia (and I don't want to take sleeping pills) advised that I should get up and walk around the house for a while if this happens, or read a book, but not to watch TV or get on the computer because that makes the mind too active. The problem with this advice, which I do follow if I can, is when any of the kids are sleeping here, because we have a very small apartment with those lovely old wood floors -- which creak VERY loudly at the smallest step -- and there aren't any rooms where I can "walk around" without disturbing them. So it means I'm trapped in bed, unable to sleep or even to get comfortable not sleeping, but unable to move around out of bed, or read, without waking all or part of the household. Poor Georges, stuck with a wife who can't sleep and has to toss and turn all night.
This is what's been happening for the past few nights, in varying degrees, and with varying numbers of kids sleeping here on different nights (Older Son and Girlfriend are in transition as they search for an apartment, and are rotating sleeping at different parental homes until they find something; La Fille is visiting for a few days as well). Last night, we had all THREE of Georges' kids here (plus the Girlfriend) because the Garçon came to sleep over so he'd have a chance to hang out with his older siblngs. It was the first time in more than a year we've had all three of the kids in the house at the same time. I really enjoy my step-kids when I see them, and I especially enjoy how happy it makes Georges to have them all here together (we even made them sit down for a rare family photo shoot).
Everyone had a lot of fun last night being together. But the sleeping arrangements were not what you'd call ideal -- for anyone. It was like an indoor camp-out in our living room: the Young Couple sleeping on the double sofabed, La Fille sleeping in her little brother's mezzanine bed, and Le Garçon sleeping on the loveseat underneath his bed (at least no one had to sleep on the floor). The four kids were all in parts of our double living area -- which has no actual doors, just curtains separating the spaces for a little privacy, but it means if anyone is up walking to the kitchen or bathroom, there's noise. One of the kids has a terrible cold and bronchitis. At least two of them snore. One of them needed to have the air purifier running (the air quality in Paris can be really bad, and it's been terrible lately -- everybody seems to be affected by it. And you guys wonder why I'm often complaining of respiratory issues?) but the others didn't like the noise from the air purifier. Oh la, the chaos.
Finally, everyone was in bed for the night and the house got relatively quiet. The Couple had to get up and leave the house by 7am to catch a train to the South where they'll stay with G's sister for a few weeks of vacation, so we set our alarm for 6:15 so Georges could get up and see them off. I actually fell asleep before midnight, exhausted from not sleeping at all the night before.
In the middle of the night, I awoke suddenly because Georges was snuggling against me. We are a very affectionate couple who never thinks twice about hugging, touching or even kissing in public (hey, this is France, where they invented Public Displays of Affection) but I'm the type who needs a bit of physical space when I'm sleeping, because I AM such a light sleeper, and Georges is aware of this so at first I couldn't figure out what he thought he was doing, sleeping in the middle of the bed! Then I thought, "Oh, that's so sweet, he just wants to be near me" and instead of poking him and pushing him back to his "side" of the bed, I just went back to sleep even though I was feeling a bit cramped.
When the alarm went off, Georges started to get up out of the bed... but instead of just rolling off his side like a normal person would, he starts sort of skootching himself to the foot of the bed, which involved him having to lean on my legs, and I'm all "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" To which he replied, like it was no big deal, "Getting up". I just couldn't figure out what was wrong with him: was he still half asleep or something? This was not normal behavior.
After he got up and left the room, I rolled over toward "his" side, trying to go back to sleep. And then I noticed a small, dark lump in the bed. Suddenly, everything became clear.
There was a Garçon sleeping in the bed. Ah-ha!
So Georges wasn't getting romantic with me in the night after all. Nor was he sleep-walking or acting crazy this morning. He was just a poor man who spent an uncomfortable night sandwiched between his wife who moves around a lot trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, and his little boy who couldn't sleep in the "campground" with the noise from his older siblings and the air purifier, and who decided he would sleep better in our bed with his father, who also snores.
My poor husband. Georges loves his family. But no one likes to be the middle of the Oreo.
