But You ARE Asleep, Honey

Last night, around 2:30, I awoke to Arianna's face pressed firmly against mine.  It wasn't comfortable for me, so it couldn't have been comfortable for her; though she remained sound asleep. I must say, however, that it was a marked improvement over the previous nights parade of Genevieve and Rosaline, tromping into our room around 3am, carrying pillows and blankets and stuffed animals, loudly proclaiming that they were there to watch cartoons on our iphones.  I scooped up the slumbering tot, gently scaled the baby gate that keeps Charming's destructive puppyness at bay during the midnight hours, walked down the hall and gently lay her back in her own bed.  As I brought the sheets up around her chin, she shot up to a seated position and quietly began to whimper.  "I don't want to go to sleep, Daddy. ... I want to snuggle with you and Mama (sob)(sob)."  I tried to shush her as not to wake the others, but she grew more and more agitated.  Finally, I got down on my knees, pressed my lips against her ear and whispered "but Honey, you are asleep."  She instantly fell silent and dropped back to the bed like a ton of bricks.  This magic may never work again in the history of parenting; but for one night, I am "The Kid Whisper".