Free at last, free at last.

Not Lauren. Me. And Mark too. It's been over two weeks running since Lauren began to go to sleep...

...in her own room

...by herself

...without anyone sitting with her until she fell asleep.

Thus ends a 2+ year ordeal. An ordeal where on most nights, I would lay in the dark next to her for over an hour. During this time, I would let my mind wander. I would think about what I was missing on television. Or about the projects I could be working on. About my family. About mortality (Yes, really). Then Mark gave me my iPod so I could lay there and surf the internet instead. When American Idol was airing, I laid in the dark and voted for Jason Castro over and over again until my arm would fall asleep from holding the phone up to my ear.

I mostly did my duty without complaint, but there were a few times when I just couldn't stand it anymore and went completely berzerk because she just would not go to sleep. These were not good nights for either me or her. Sometimes, I just gave up and went to sleep myself.

There were times when I really thought that this would never happen. That somehow I would be sitting in her college dorm room waiting for her to fall asleep, which really would have put a crimp in her social life.

Things are not perfect. Every night she tells me, "Mommy, I don't want you to go downstairs." or "Mommy, I want you to stay." Nonetheless, I reassure her that I will be nearby in the living room, give her a few extra kisses and make a hasty retreat. I get called back up stairs at least once, sometimes two or three times for adjustments to her covers or to searching out Dita (who's always right next to her). Sooner or later though she falls asleep on her own.

And now I have all this free time in the evenings. My mind has been pouring over the possibilities. I could blog more often! I could scrapbook...or embroider! I could start reading some of the 30+ books on my reading list!

I could solve the fuel crisis!

Thus far, I've spent the time watching television with Mark, mainly Star Trek: The Next Generation re-runs that I DVR'd and Battlestar Gallactica on DVD (At the rate we're going, we will be able to see the end of the series in real time - yay!). So I guess the fuel crisis will have to wait. Sorry y'all.