the fine line between sleep and wake

We purchased a couple of floor pillows a while back and just recently found that the dogs love them. So great, we thought. We'll just give them to the dogs to use as beds and maybe then they won't need to sleep with us anymore.

You see, once upon a time the two dogs sleeping with us wasn't such a big deal. Kramer slept next to me (as close as he could get, curled up in a little ball) and Maddy slept next to Chris (usually at his feet, sprawled out). We have a King and since neither dog is all that big or moved all that much it wasn't disruptive to our sleep. However, at some point that all changed. I don't remember when or why, but now the dogs are all over the place at night. Well, mostly Maddy. I think even Kramer has tired of her constant up on the bed and then down, under the covers and then on top, panting because she's too hot and then pushing the water dish around the kitchen in the middle of the night because she's finished it off ... ugh, this dog is wearing on my last nerve. But I love her to death.

So this is the kicker. Over the past couple months I've started having these dreams -- pleasant dreams in which Vincent is happily cuddling with us in bed and we're all drifting off to sleep. But then suddenly I become aware that Vin is sleeping on the outside and he's about to roll off the bed. I'm then somewhere between dreaming and waking life and I jump straight up and reach out to grab Vin before he falls ... only to realize that I'm grabbing Maddy as she (for the umpteenth time that night) jumps down off the bed. It freaks me out EVERY SINGLE TIME and it's really not funny at all. It's becoming a regular occurrence and since most of my night is already spent going pee (every hour, on the hour) this little ritual is becoming quite torturous. I'm considering getting a gate for out bedroom door (I don't want to close it because we close Vin's door so Chris won't wake him in the am when getting ready for work, and I'm afraid if both are closed we wouldn't hear him if he needed us). Then maybe we can retrain the dogs to sleep in the living room instead. Kramer has already given up sleeping with us all together (he loves his pillow) so I don't know. Maybe it will work ... I just know something needs to change -- and fast!