So DS2 (7 months) decided he wasn't keen on going to sleep tonight. This occasionally happens, he has a cuddle, flails around and squawks a bit and then goes to sleep in my arms.
Unfortunately DS1 (3) who had been granted a slightly late bedtime by dint of his brother being difficult to get to sleep, started deliberately making noises around DS2 to keep him awake - dropping toys right next to him, pushing things over on the table, bringing noisy toys over and setting them off etc. This meant that DS2 kept screwing himself round to watch his brother and resisting sleeping even harder, while doing his favourite tired trick of scratching at the back of my arm which is now adorned with lovely red marks.
Eventually I gave up on DS2, put him down and commenced DS1's bedtime. DS1 promptly had a massive tantrum. I calmed him down, got him to bed and recommenced Operation DS2 Sleep. DS2 started to drift off.
At this point DS1 started his favourite trick which involves chanting "MummyMummyMummy" in a high pitched shriek. DS2 woke up and started slowly clawing me to death again. I yelled up the stairs and DS1 stopped shrieking. I fed DS2 to near-sleep and put him down in his cot.
DS1 started shrieking again. DS2 woke up and wailed. I went and gave DS1 a massive bollocking little talking to and a cuddle and he agreed to be quiet.
I made multiple attempts at getting DS2 to sleep - he eventually stopped moaning and went to sleep. I got to the bottom of the stairs...and DS2 started wailing again. I was halfway back up the stairs when DS1, clearly woken up by DS, recommenced the high-pitched "Mummymummymummy".
I returned downstairs and ate some chocolate. I am now listening to "Mooooooan" from DS2, occasionally punctuated by "mumffwumffwummf" as he collapses in an exhausted, face-down heap in his cot, before remembering that he really, really doesn't want to go to sleep. In the other ear I have "mummymummyMUMMEEEEEEEEE"
So would I be unreasonable to pick one of them at random - I have no preferences as to which one right now - and put them in the shed until the other one is asleep? DS1 is probably best placed to fight off the giant spiders, but DS2 is fractionally more annoying at the moment. Maybe I could put DS2 at the bottom of the drive - by the time he dragged/rolled/shuffled his way back to the door DS1 might be asleep.
Or perhaps I could go and sit in the shed? Except I don't have internet access in the garden so I couldn't even MN to pass the time.