Not so sure about being 3

We are having sleep issues with Sam....again. That seems to be the story of our lives. He has a good streak and then something messes him up again. This time it seemed to be Sadie's surgery. He had been doing very well. However, once she was home after surgery and waking up every 3 hours for more pain medicine he seemed to feel the need to compete for attention even in the middle of the night! We would be up with Sadie, squirt some medicine into her mouth, crawl back into bed, and then we'd hear some sort of noise/cry/yell from Sam's room.

It's never anything major - covers are loose, cup of water cannot be located, a random desire for a kiss or hug from one of us - but still requires attention. I know I should probably just make him deal with it and not go in there, but frankly I get more sleep if I go in there for 2 minutes than if I would make him cry. (Thankfully I have managed to break him of the need to have me lay with him in the middle of the night - I can just go in, do what needs to be done and leave - a major improvement since this summer.) He is one stubborn little boy and if left to cry it out can be hysterical for over an hour - then I am not sleeping anyway because of the noise, plus the fact that then Sadie would most likely be awakened as well.

Anyway - Sadie has been improving with waking as her pain is lessening, but Sam apparently hasn't gotten the message. Last night he was up more than her and Joe and I are very, very tired - both physically and just plain tired of seeing him anytime between the hours of 8 pm and 7 am. Tonight we tried to have a little pep talk before bed about what to do if he wakes up in the middle of the night.

Joe: Sam, what do you do if you wake up in the middle of the night? Do you need to cry?
Sam: Sometimes I cry.
Joe: But what should you do?
Sam: Just go back to sleep.... (Yes - he gets it!)
...with Mommy. (What!? Are you kidding me?)
Joe: No - not with Mommy. Just go back to sleep all by yourself. You are 3 now - 3-year-olds just go back to sleep!
Sam: I don't want to be 3.
Joe: Sure you want to be 3. 3-year-olds get to do all kinds of stuff. You get to go to Sunday School, you don't have to take a nap like Sadie...
Sam: .....I get to stay up late to wait for Grandma and Papa....
Joe: Yes. Isn't being 3 great? (Never mind the fact that Sam already did all those things while he was still 2, but thankfully he did not realize that.)
Sam: No. Can I change back to be 2 please?