nick nolte: a definition.

It wasn't always easy for us to read what Claire was trying to tell us. There were weeks of sleep training, hard painful weeks when we were getting the hang of her subtle cues. Rubbing eyes generally meant I was too late and naptime was going to be a battle. Claire at 18 months is a master communicator. At bedtime, she grabs Teddy and a book. Then she climbs up on our laps for a cuddle and a story. Her hair goes wild and when she's extremely tired, she pulls a throw pillow off of the couch and curls up on the floor, indicating, "Mama, I'm ready for bed." In our house, the state of exhaustion beyond tired is known as Nick Nolte tired. Thankfully, Nick Nolte only shows up when her routine gets out of whack. Like when our clocks change in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Then she staggers around the house like a tiny, tired drunk.