Who Needs Sleep?

Oh how I wish those words applied to parents too! Yesterday morning I woke up at 3:15AM, not on purpose. I'm not sure what initially woke me up, but once my eyes were open, I noticed Kevin wasn't there. So I did that courteous thing and walked out to the living room to tell him to stop sleeping on the couch with all the lights on and come to bed. Apparently, that short walk from our room tom the couch was too much excitement for me because once I got back to my nice warm bed, I was wide awake. I tried to lay there for awhile and just let myself fall asleep..... that didn't work. Next I decided I'd check my email on my phone to distract myself and become tired again....nope. In fact, that did the opposite- I had a work email that was now bugging me so I finally got out my laptop and sent the reply I had already written in my head. As I as composing this email I decided I might as well make a pot of coffee since I had two free hands and would need it eventually anyway. Then I remember the mountain of gifts ready to avalanche our bed and decide to pull the entire pile out into the living room and start wrapping them, because who doesn't wrap gifts at 3:45 in the morning?!
So, there I was gulping down my coffee spiked with Peppermint Mocha creamer, lights blazing, wrapping paper flying all my 4AM.
Before I knew it it was 5:30 and I heard the small whimper of my baby Parker (he will be the baby until there is another baby, feel sorry for him if there ever isn't!), I tip toe into the boys' room and pop his paci back in his mouth hoping that will let HIM go back to sleep.  Nope. Seeing me just makes him louder, much louder. In fear that his very vocal "good morning I know you saw that I'm awake, come back in here this instant and pick me up so I can eat something" calls will wake up Cooper, I silently leap back into their room, scoop up him and his now beaming face and head to my make shift Santa workshop in the living room and kitchen.
Well, now I had a situation; gifts, rolls of wrapping paper, scissors, tape, pens, coffee mugs and peppermint marshmallows were EVERYWHERE. (Where did the marshmallows come from? Elf on the Shelf got into them sometime during the night and had thrown them all over the boys' room, the hallway and the kitchen. Which would have been fine had Parker slept until his "normal" time. but now he was acting like a human vacuum who's only job is to eat every single one of those tiny pink things.)
As quickly and quietly as I could, I got on the floor and began snow-plowing the marshmallows together and tossing them up on the counter top as to not ruin the fun for Cooper while also keeping as many as I could out of Parker's mouth- there's not doubt he got at least half a dozen.
After the sugar was off the floor, I grabbed the scissors, coffee, pens and anything else that he could hurt himself with and placed it out of reach. By this time Parker was on to me and was an the verge of protesting the situation, aka screaming at the top of his lungs. I bend down and grab him before he can complete the decision of, "Do I just scream or do I scream and shed some tears?", plunk him in his high chair and start cutting up a banana. Almost before the first round piece of fruit hits the tray, he's a new boy and back to his mega watt smile self.
While he eats I clean up the rest of my mess, take off my hoodie because by now I'm getting all sweaty and pour myself another cup of coffee. Before I know if there is a sweet little groggy voice saying, "There are little pink things all over my floor!" and I'm being led back to his room to discover the magic that was waiting for him.
By the time both boys are fed and happy it's nearly 7:45 and I've been up for almost five hours and have consumed way too much coffee considering the time, and the days has only really just begun. In the back of my mind I make a mental note that I MUST take a nap later that day before we head to the wedding we've been invited to. Where in the world do I think I'll find the time or the opportunity of a half hour or so to do this? No idea. But there's no time to think about that now, the boys are arguing over the Bat mobile I must intervene before Parker ends up sitting on top of Cooper.

Comments

Barb Gehlen said…
This made me laugh out loud. Why? Because I could totally see you doing every single motion! You are a wonderful Mom, dear Jackie. Those beautiful little boys are blessed.

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