The Further Adventures of Commando Cuddles

There is a reason Kaiden sleeps in his own bed, all alone.

Once upon a time, all three of my tiny trio shared a bed. Everything I had ever read about multiples always advised that this arrangement would result in optimal baby happiness.

Apparently, they didn't know Kaiden when they made such statements!

I kinda knew that we would be in trouble in the beginning. Kaiden was all sorts of happy sprawled in his own private isolette in the NICU.

He was quite happy to answer his sibling's cries from accross the room and amused all of the nurses with the way they would all communicate and answer each other.

They should have gotten a clue when the boys somehow developed that rivalry instinct on about day 2 when Kian had to have his cool shades and sun himself under the heat lamp for a day.

The very next day, Kaiden had to have his pair of cool shades and his turn under the lamp as well.

Nobody knows how they understood that this was happening, but the activity continued...well it really has never stopped, so to say!

Then someone got the bright idea to put the boys together. Immediatly there was fighting.

Kaiden ALWAYS had all of the pacifiers on his side of the bed. Little hands flew at little bodies and they acted worse than Laverne & Shirley in a cat-fight.

Soon, all three of the babies were together and Kaiden found new ways to amuse himself.

If he was cold, he snuggled with sister. If he got bored snuggling, he would try and remove her wiring and feeding tube for her.

It only got worse from there. Once they were home, Kaiden thought nothing of snuggling right up to his unsuspecting siblings.

He has become known as "Personal space invader number one" to both of his siblings.

In fact, it got so bad, that one day, when Vivie was about three months old, she had had enough.

She just rolled herself over after a diaper change, and insisted upon sleeping in her own bed (which was being used as a changing table at the time!)

Poor Kian would have to put up with Kaiden-torture until he was nearly a year old.

It was a very loud year, too, let me tell you. In his sleep, Kaiden would manage to basically shove his body up under his brother's in some attempt to cuddle with him and keep warm.

Kaiden is not gentle while snuggling, either. I know first hand, because there are days when he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming for whatever reason, and I very stupidly will bring him into my bed in an attempt to get some sleep.

Last night was one such night. Before I even was able to lay him fully down on the bed, he had managed to roll himself over and curl up into a ball.

Next, he attached himself to my side somehow. I don't know how he did it, since I was still trying to get in to my bed, but he had already assumed his favored sleeping position and attached himself to me.

Don't think that he was going to stay like that for very long, though! He spent the entire time getting comfortable...to the tune of about five hours worth.

He would snuggle with me, then snuggle with his Daddy. Then he would throw his body over to where I was and re-attach himself to me.

Then there is the Kaiden stretch. He has this way of melding his head & torso into his Daddy's shoulder, and stretching his legs all the way out to where he can count my ribs with his toes.

He then will continue to wiggle those little toes, and stretch, an action which makes husband and I want to turn over in our sleep.

Kaiden knows that if he works at it long enough, he just might be able to make one or both of us roll off of the bed.

This is actually an attempt at gaining one of the satin pillows for himself, though. He really likes those.

Yesterday, when he finally woke up completely, Kaiden was seriously upset because he was attached to his Daddy and not me.

He first tried to play with my hair in his sleep. He realized that the hair that he was playing with wasn't long, and that made him cry.

Then he decided that he wanted to sleep on my chest, only it wasn't soft like mine...so he cried even harder.

When I came back into the room to get him up for breakfast, he basically threw himself into my arms because he was so upset!

What a poor little guy! Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that there is a reason that the boys each have their own beds now.

Most importantly, there is a very good reason why Kaiden is nicknamed "Commando Cuddles" too!