close your big brown eyes

as i sit here at my computer, i am constantly reminded of my seven-year-old's rather unusual sleeping habits. because her bedroom is only thirty or so feet away from my present position, i am privy to most of the night's proceedings from my vantage point here in the living room.

for one, seven doesn't just talk in her sleep, she has full-on conversations in her sleep. now as for whom she is speaking with, i haven't a clue. sometimes the conversation is littered with monosyllabic utterances such as "ooh" and "ah" while at other times, the discourse seems to focus on more grandiose themes like "a day at the park with my best friend" or "lunch with the girls at the pickle barrel."

moreover, my eldest exhibits a somewhat curious tendency to grasp at her neck while she slumbers. this she may have inadvertently inherited from her old man as i have always felt the need to wedge a foreign object (pillow, blanket, etc.) beneath my chin as i snooze, perhaps in response to some irrational fear of being strangled in my sleep or perhaps in response to some perfectly rational fear of having something come in contact with my adam's apple (wince and shudder).

as for my two-year-old, the good news is that she possesses her own uniquely peculiar sleeping customs as well. in the first place, my youngest appears to be physically incapable of falling asleep at night without her legs eventually coming to rest as they dangle over the side of the bed. in fact, during an average night, i am forced to enter her bedroom on at least a half-dozen occasions just to make sure that she hasn't fallen from her twin-sized perch onto the floor. and i should also mention that every time i swing her legs back onto her mattress, i am usually rewarded with a kick or two to the mid-section as a subconscious thank you for all my efforts.

additionally, my two-year-old appears to take great pride in tossing her stuffed animals from her bed at various intervals throughout the evening. quite frankly i'm not really sure why i even bother to load up her sleeping area with her favourite bears and monkeys and turtles when most of her furry friends will inevitably end up behind her toy chest or under her dresser by the time the sun rises the next morning.

but the nocturnal behaviour i find most disturbing is my two-year-old's penchant for quietly sneaking into the living room around one a.m. every morning while i'm focused on the monitor only to scare the living bejeezus out of me when she reaches out to touch my elbow.

whenever i hear this modern version of the popular stairsteps classic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j919HoaUTfY), i am immediately reminded of this lesser-known but equally brilliant number (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZCkRy22KY) from the greatest band of all time... and notice how the images in both videos are expertly used to complement the ambience created by the music and lyrics