Five times in two-and-a-half hours

That's how many times I had to get out of bed last night. What did you think I was talking about? La dra. and I were so beat, we went to bed at 9, right after putting The Pumpkin down. Night before last, The Pumpkin had slept 10 hours straight, no wake-ups at all, which never happens--of course, we had given her Tylenol for teething and Benadryl for congestion. Nothing like druggging your baby to help you all get a good night's sleep. Last night, however, we had to wait out her flailing legs (eyes closed the whole time, mind you) before putting her down. That's always a bad omen.

And so, of course, at 11:00 she woke up crying and sitting up, and I had to go pick her up, pop the pacifier back in, rock her a little, and put her back down. That usually holds for at least 2 hours, more (even the rest of the night) if we're lucky. Me, last night? Not so lucky. Cries woke me up again, sending me down the hallway. On my way back, I check the time--only 12:00. That's not good. And then she did it again at 12:30! I never know what exactly is bothering her when this happens, so I hedged my bets and both gave her Tylenol in case her restlessness was teething-induced (of course, months and months of this have only produced FOUR teeth!), and I turned off the space heater too (though it didn't seem that hot in there). Miracle of miracles, it worked, and she didn't wake up again till 6 (and she slept another hour with some more rocking).

But wait, you say. Didn't you said "five times in two-and-a-half hours"? Yes, yes I did.

So I had barely slipped back into a half-sleep from the 12:30 wake-up when the dog gave out a big single bark in the living room (which he never does). Dazed as I was, I half-yelled the dog's name (thinking it was only in my head), waking my wife who had slept through everything. I went out, checked the backyard and breezeway for cats through the windows (nothing), pet the dog, and went back to sleep. The clock read 1:00.

Again, I was drifting off when I heard an unfortunately familiar sound. I went to check it, and yes, the dog was laying guiltily on the hallway floor next to a fresh spot of throw-up. I groggily got a little flashlight, a bottle of pet stain cleaner, and some paper towels, did what I had to do, and went back to bed. It was 1:30.

So, how was your night?