Lantern Hide & Seek

Dear Em,
We're not really daylight savings supporters in this house. If I could be an anti-daylight savings activist, I think I would. The two time changes are two of my least favorite times of the year. You refuse to acknowledge the existence of a time change. You notice changes. You've asked us why it gets so dark so early, but although we've explained it, you've refused to let it change you (maybe you are an anti daylight savings activist?). So you & our 2 obnoxious cats have basically woken up the same time you would have woken up pre-daylight savings time change. The cats wrestle each other on top of your sleeping Daddy & I while you peer out your window to see the sun at 5:50am, apparently thinking that is an appropriate time to be awake. While your wake-time hasn't altered since the time change, your bedtime is now one hour later, & we've watched you become progressively crankier as the hours of sleep loss have begun to add up.

I have to say I don't feel like my body has transitioned well either. I too have a hard time sleeping past 6am (maybe it's because I have to cats wrestling on top of me?) & start to feel hungry an hour earlier than I typically eat my meals. I feel depressed when we get home & the sun has already set. We want to make the most of the mild November weather we've had, but it's hard to when it's too dark to even take a walk after work. Sigh.

Last week we found a way to turn a negative into a positive. When life gave us daylight savings, we made lantern hide & seek.

With darkness filling our house so much earlier than you go to bed, it makes for the perfect setting to play hide & go seek in the dark. You teamed up with Daddy or myself each time. One team would hide, & one team would use only the light of a lantern & Rainbow Brite Worm Glo to seek. You kind of give us an unfair advantage when you're the hider. First off, Daddy almost always hides you under the covers. So, I just really have to look in one of three beds. I hide you in more unique spots, but Daddy uses your inability to stay quiet to his advantage. "Emma," he calls, & you answer "What?!" Then he would say, "I know, you're under the bed." "No, I'm in the bathtub," you would yell back. There were giggles & squeals & hugs & excitement for the next round.

I'm thinking we might have to get a flashlight for the person hiding. It's a lot harder to hide in the dark than you would think. It's not like you can turn on a light switch to see where you're going & then turn it off once you've hidden. I hid for at least 15 minutes, & was starting to get kind of freaked out being crouched in the dark by myself when you finally gave up on finding me in my spot.

You still declared yourself the lantern hide & seek champion.

I love you so,
Mommy