Late at night

Since we moved to New York, Lilly's been waking up once or twice at night. Not always, but usually she'll call for us around midnight and maybe around 3 am.

We go in her room for a minute, she falls back asleep, and it's not a big deal.

But I've always wondered why she's started doing this. I wondered if it had something to do with being totally potty trained; maybe she's realizing she has to go to the bathroom late at night? Or maybe she just really wants mommy or daddy near her? Or maybe it's just natural sleep rhythyms and she wants to be consoled between rem cycles?

But tonite, I think I may have figured it out.

10 minutes ago, she called my name. I was still awake obsessively compulsively researching stuff for our European trip (actually trying to figure out if there's any way we can add a day or two in Paris to the beginning of our trip, which there isn't and it's ridiculous, but just being honest...). Anyways, I went into her room and she was pretty much unconscious, just needed mommy to lie with her for a minute before she got back into her deep sleep.

And I sat there next to her, wondering why she was up. And then I heard a garbage truck, loudly tossing things into the back. And then I heard the street cleaner truck, its whizzing noise cleaning all the crap off the street. (Literally.) And then I heard the neighbor next door, singing into a microphone (because it sounded like his voice was coming out of speakers) and rat tat tapping on some kind of drum, and a guitar in the background. And I remembered that sometimes I hear a baby whose room is right next to Lilly's in the apartment next door. And throughout the night just a half block away the street is being blown up - literally - as they prepare for the 2nd Avenue subway line. (If you're standing on the street at the time it actually sounds and feels like you're in a warzone. I actually duck sometimes!) And then there are the random doors slamming, cars honking, ambulance sirens - we live near 4 hospitals of course. And being on the 18th floor does not exempt us from hearing drunk people loudly yelling from the street. And the homeless man who lives on our corner ranting about the inequities of life.

So I'm lying there next to Lilly Lou, thinking about why she can't sleep 12 hours uninterrupted, while my head is exploding with all the noise around me...

Huh. It's a wonder any of us can sleep at all in this city?? I know I sleep well just from sheer exhaustion...

Oh well. Just 3 more weeks until we hit the suburbs!