"Mommy..........MOMMY!"

Here are a few happy pictures from Friday morning, which unfortunately the day (or weekend) didn't allow me time to share with you. So I hope you enjoy them.

Now, let's get back to the business of the "Mommy.......MOMMY!" that I heard over the monitor at 1:37 am. I might add that this is after I had already been awake two times to visit the little girls' room between 10 pm when I went to bed and when this little voice shouted to me as if there was a crisis. As it turns out, there was a crisis. When I got to Joshua's room and scaled the gate at his doorway (oh how interesting THAT is going to get as the belly grows), our conversation went something like this:

Joshua: "Mommy?"

Me: "What?"

Joshua: "Mommy?"

Me: "What Joshua?" (I don't know why we do this multiple times. But it's a new trend.)

Joshua: "Mommy, can you please help me find my sock?" (The ACTUAL words he spoke.)

Me: "Sure." (I'm secretly hoping that he'll smile once I locate and put on his lost sock, roll over and go to sleep. I act like this is the first time I've met with him in the middle of the night. Who am I kidding?)

Joshua: "Mommy, while you're here..." (I kid you not, this is what he said!) "Could you please read me a book?" (He says it so sweetly, because he knows he's pressing his luck.)

Me: "No. We do not read books when it's sleeping time. Lay down and go to sleep."

Joshua: Tears ensue. Large ones.

Me: "Everyone we know is asleep right now. Nana and Pap. Grandma. Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig and Baby Brooke. Sydney. McKenna & Cooper. Baby Lila. All your friends from music class. Everyone's asleep. You need to go to sleep too." It's never too early to start working peer pressure into his psyche is it?

Joshua: The tears get bigger, as if to say, "Nice try Mom. But I'm not buying it." We move into the category of hysterics and I cave. Call me a wimp if you want.

Following this is two hours of rocking and reading to try to get this small little person with a stubborn streak that rivals NONE to close his eyes. He was tired- yawning in fact- but would not give up. Meanwhile, going through my head in the midst of Dr Seuss are things like, "If only he would go to sleep now, I might actually get an hour of sleep before I have to get up for the United Way meeting at 5:00." And..."Oh my word, I'm going to puke from the movement of the ROCKING CHAIR for crying out loud. This is NOT the time for night sickness to kick in. Work with me Baby!" And..."Just how do I propose that we're going to make this work in another 32 weeks when there is a screaming newborn with legitimate needs AND a screaming banchee of a toddler who will wake up at the slightest noise? OK genius...how's THIS going to work?"

I finally closed my eyes again around 3:30 and did, in fact, make it to the United Way meeting on time. Joshua was still asleep when I left at 7:00. Our late night meetings generally make for good reading material, but they're kicking my butt and have been for the past....oh......two years plus. If only the next one would be a good sleeper....that's my fervent prayer.