Out of Sync

Well, at this point I am having trouble remembering my last good night's sleep, but if I look at Degen's calendar I can find that last week he slept 11 hours straight. Then we adjusted the clocks for Daylight Savings Time, and it seems that we've had nothing but trouble since. I was fairly used to Degen waking one or two times a night, but in the past week he's been up four to five times each night and struggles to go down despite the "blackout" measures I've added to the windows. I feel like we've got a bit of a perfect anti-sleep storm: time change, teething (looks like we've got another molar on deck), a cold and some separation anxiety. I'm still trying to figure out a new bedtime, dose with pain reliever as needed, lay him down with the shirt I wore for the day...it just seems like I can't do enough to help him find and keep his sleep these days, which is frustrating for both of us. The first night was really difficult, but now I just expect that I'll be up (a lot) and it is what it is. Keeping calm and going through the motions to get him (& me) back in bed as soon as possible are my main focuses.
Though the nights have been difficult, the days have been a lot of fun! Degen has become a little monkey-man in the past few weeks. He is a climber, and it doesn't take but a moment for him to be up or down the stairs, sitting on a shelf, on top of Kyrie's desk, sliding off the bed or lounging on the couch watching his favorite shows! If I leave the room for a moment, I don't know where I'll find him when I return. Of course, he usually doesn't let me get out of sight for long! Darren has gotten really good at playing distraction for Degen so that I can get something... anything done. After dinner, Darren will roughhouse with both kiddos. One of their favorite games is car chase, in which he pushes Degen around the house on his little car chasing after a screaming Kyrie. Listening to those three play in the evening is a true joy for me!
In other family happenings: we have begun packing for our end-of-April move. It didn't take long for us to figure out that it will be difficult for me to do much packing (or anything else, truly) during the week while I have both kids by myself. So, we are trying to take advantage of our weekends and do as much as we can. This first weekend has gone well, as we've completed three big packing categories: pictures, knick-knacks & books. My hope is that we'll be able to complete 2-3 categories each week/end and be ready to move in about 6 weeks. We close on the new house this Wednesday!