In Pittsburgh

One little guy is asleep on the floor. Not because it's a Maxwell Family Christmas where we all huddled in one room awaiting the big day. Though, we are awaiting the big day. Also, not because he is too big for the bed he's sleeping in or because someone else pulled the sheet off earlier in the day. He's just sleeping on the floor because he's a thumper. Not so much a head banger as a body banger--throwing himself against the mattress to the beat of a song (sometimes one he's singing and sometimes one he hears). He's supposed to be sleeping in his sister's bed tonight as his room is being painted but it just doesn't give him what he needs in his thumping ritual so he's on the floor. Quinn is upside down in her bed. It's hot here. Aila is in time out. Well, in the bed formerly known as time out. She asked to sleep there. For the longest time, she could only sleep in a dark closet with no one walking anywhere near. Two of those three create their own sensory havens at night with the head banging and the upside down sleeping. Aila can't manage much sensory input but I know she's getting more organized as she is now able to sleep in a crib near to her brothers and sisters. Also, she's quite a bit more tired with the nearly full day preschool she is attending. The last little one is actually watching TV. When Daddy gets home, this is all going to change but for one more night, Mommy would rather let her watch four movies in a row then deal with her sensory overload that involves jumping all over my bed throwing her head into the covers, or over the edge, or possibly throwing her whole body from our rather high bed. Actually I should probably write a thesis in prenatal exposure causing sensory and sleep issues in children. However, that thesis will have to wait. Because tomorrow, if none of my fears regarding the North Magnetic Pole come true, I'll have our China boys home. If they have sensory issues, I don't know about it. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they have a whole slew of issues that I know nothing about. I haven't looked up every little detail in their files on the internet. I've just barely got their room painted (and only because of Christina's help will it be done by tomorrow). These boys are going to give us a run for our money. We know. In part, we picked our older China son, Kai, for behavior that looked the same sort of trying as our ten year old's. We wanted him to be an equal partner in that brotherhood. In retrospect, this may not have been the best idea. Tomorrow, though, it won't matter. It will only matter that everyone has a sleeping bag for family movie night and that there's a popcorn for everyone.