Sam's Having Withdrawal

This past weekend, Eli slept in Sam's room on the trundle bed. Going to sleep was a bit of a hassle - Sam didn't want to stop playing - so we ended up putting them to bed in different rooms and then moving Eli over when we all went to sleep. The best part about that arrangement was that they woke up and entertained themselves, letting us sleep past 7:00 most mornings.

From the moment they began playing in the morning until the moment we separated them at night, the boys played together. Most of the time it was without drama (though there was the occasional foray into "I was playing with that" territory) and Sam and Eli seemed thrilled to have full-time playmates to race cars, taunt Liza, make up stories, and even tussle:
We parents just stayed out of their way and had a lovely time talking and carrying on.

Then Eli left.

Sam is currently in detox. This morning, he didn't understand why I had to get ready for work and couldn't play with him from the moment I awoke. He's always been one to play by himself for long stretches of time, but now that he's experienced the thrill of constant attention, we may never go back. Going cold turkey is a bit tough.