The grand experiment in having the girls share a room continues even as I write. We had a couple breakthroughs in the last week when, on consecutive nights, Julia was able to go to sleep in her own bed even though, four feet away, Genevieve was calling for her: "Boo-ah? Boo-ah? Boo-ah, bee?" ("Julia? Julia? Julia, please?") When the toddler din get to be too much, we have had to revert to the bad old system of letting Julia go to sleep in the guest room, then moving her after Vivi nods off.
Tonight, though, was something special. Going to bed a good forty-five minutes after Vivi, Julia listened to her sister talking and singing, then assured me that she would be able to get to sleep anyhow.
Fifteen minutes later, what erupts on the monitor but Vivi giggling and growling and talking nonsense at Top Volume, Julia protesting weakly in the background. I dashed upstairs to discover Vivi standing in her crib with her silky on her head and a stuffed animal in each hand, clearly acting out some sort of skit for Julia, who had turned in her bed so that she could better see the show. Vivi was loving it, and though Julia was pretending she wasn't enjoying the act, I could tell she was digging it. Much as I hate to see them still awake at eight, I have to give them credit for resourcefully entertaining themselves.
I sent Julia off to the guest room, gave Vivi (her fourth) one last kiss, and crossed my fingers that the night would come to a close, which it mostly did.