Kaia woke me up several times last night. The first time, she was screaming and crying for me in her room, waiting for me to come. I didn’t come, so she ran to our bedroom, grabbed my arm, and dragged me into her bed with her, screaming the whole way back to her bed. Only then did she stop crying. I stayed with her for about three hours and had a bit of broken sleep before waking up and going back to my own bed. A few hours later, she snuck back to our bed, poked my face and chest a bit to wake me up yet again. But this time, it was to help get her on the bed. She can actually get on the bed just fine herself, but apparently when I am there (as in, not on a work trip and away), she simply gets into bed on her own and tucks herself right next to Chris. She slept soundly, as did I… up until 7:30, when I woke up and realized we were 30 minutes late getting out of bed. I was so annoyed — this has never happened before! My alarm didn’t go off because I set all my alarms differently while on my work trip last week, and I had forgotten to turn them back on for today. I got her ready quicker than I’d ever gotten her ready and packed some defrosted and just warmed pancakes for her ride to school with Chris. She gets two breakfasts, one at home and then one at her current school, so it’s not like she’d have any less food to eat given we were rushed this morning.

Chris commented and said that she only acts this way when I am around. She always quietly gets into bed with him when I am not here. When I am here, she demands that I wake up, pick her up, and tuck her in. She demands that I go to bed with her. She wants coddling from mummy and only mummy, Chris insisted.

I’m not sure what to do with this information. Is this an encouragement for me to go away more often on work travel?