Sleepover hell

So, Rachel attempted to have her second sleepover in two weeks on Friday night. Her friend Libby was scheduled to spend the night with us while her parents, David and Kelly, celebrated their 10th anniversary in Denver where Kelly had to go for a business trip. Rachel had already had a sleepover at their place while Drew and I went to a concert at Wolf Trap (Beethoven's Ninth), and so we really wanted to reciprocate the favor.

Libby came home with me and Rachel from extended day; I had put a roast chicken in the oven and on the way to the playground, Rachel told Libby "My Mom makes the BEST roast chicken!" We roasted some red potatoes and took the girls to Toby's, a local ice cream place, for dessert.

Libby had been moody before dinner, when she put her head on her knees and said she missed her mom. After we got home from Toby's, Drew blew up an air mattress (not an easy task) and put it in Rachel's room for Libby to sleep on, and we thought all was okay.

Drew had planned to go to the gym, but something told him it was a good idea to stay home. Turns out he was prescient, because at around 10:45 Rachel came downstairs and said that Libby wanted to go home. By the time Drew got her parents on the phone, Libby had packed up her backpack and was ready to hightail it home. He drove her back to her house -- Kelly and David have a houseguest who, luckily, was home -- and Rachel insisted on cuddling with me. She then revealed that she doesn't like sleepovers at other people's houses. "I try to be brave, but inside, I'm struggling," she said, explaining why she had never told us that before.

Apparently, Ivy's house is okay for a sleepover because it's right down the block and Rachel has been there so many times that she's comfortable sleeping there. And Girl Scout sleepover camp, even for a whole week, is okay too.

Last week her friend Sidney stayed over and wanted to go home around midnight or so, but I said sternly that she had asked to stay over, and she and Rachel needed to stop crying and get to bed because they both WANTED THE SLEEPOVER. Sure enough, they went to sleep and didn't get up until the next morning.

For now, Drew and I are done with sleepovers until Rachel is much older. (Unless, of course, Valerie is involved. At that point, we will leave the girls in Darryl and Daniella's apartment while the parents go away for a weekend and laugh ourselves silly.)