Roommates

It all started last May. Right after we returned from Cozumel, Alex announced that he couldn't sleep alone. The aliens were going to get him. There was no way he could sleep without someone else. Mama, sleep in here with me. PLEASE.

Well, there was no way I was giving up my wonderfully comfortable bed to crowd onto a twin bed or sleep on the floor. And I was probably tired from travelling and ready for some peace and quiet. Um, Alex, I tried reasoning, if aliens actually came down to earth, they wouldn't go for a small boy in Ann Arbor. They'd take the president or someone famous. So you have nothing to worry about.

Somehow, that didn't cut it. (I found out later that he had had the same issue the week before, and Stefan handed him a toy gun to protect himself...)

No, Mama, stay with me. I can't sleep alone.

The thoughts of my comfortable bed loomed in my head again. There's no bargaining for me when it comes to night time comfort.

Sleep with your brother, I suggested, as a last option to keeping my sanity.

OKAY, he said, with great excitement. We got out his camping sleeping pad and his sleeping bag and walked into Jameson room to set it up on the floor. Jameson, not quite asleep, sat up in his crib. ASSIX?? ASSIX? ASSIXXXXXX!!

You have to remember, Alex has super-hero qualities to Jameson. Super-hero, rock-star, and jedi-knight, all in one person. Jameson was instantly awake and totally enchanted by this idea of ALEX SLEEPING IN HIS ROOM.

That first night it took a little while for them both to calm down and fall asleep, but the next morning I discovered the charm in this situation. Jameson had someone to talk to when he woke up--instead of yelling for me--and Alex was slowly woken up by Jameson. By the time I was done showering and came into the room, both were awake and happy. Jameson had a rock star to talk to, and Alex was past the first-stage-grumpiness that I normally encountered in trying to wake him up. Win-win.

I thought it would pass in a night or two. I think Alex would move on, and the aliens threatening his nightly slumber would dissipate. But they didn't. Or was it that it was just too cool camping out on Jameson's floor??

Fast forward a few months, when a neighbor wanted to get rid of some bunk beds, her children growing up and moving out. They seemed sturdy and reliable, and at a price that was right, so we brought them in. This weekend we unveiled our new living arrangement, with both boys officially sleeping in one room. Alex loves making a nest up in the top bunk--with books and a lantern, pillows and blankets--and Jameson just loves being with Alex. He's still in his crib--for now--but someday soon I think he'll inhabit the bottom bunk. The toys are somewhat consolidated (still more work to do here) and we have a nice reading and playing room now. Maybe there will be a few less toys underfoot in the living room.

I can't help but wonder, though, what is it about Jameson that keeps the aliens away? Does he have special powers? Is he "alien-proof" and able to protect the entire room, just with his presence?

Or is it a much different scenario, one in which Alex plans to feed his little brother to the aliens and then make a run for it??

Let's hope we don't have to find out.