Why I love getting up in the morning...

I was tired this morning. Really tired. And I had a splitting headache. It's not normally a great way to start the day when all you can hear at 5 am is an alarm clock that you wish wasn't ringing, and the pounding in your brain. But that's how the day started. Because I had no choice, I got up like I always do and got moving in a robotic manner. (If it had been up to me, I would still be sitting in my sweats drinking a cup of tea this morning.)

I got my shower, got dressed, did my makeup and hair and was still feeling pretty rotten. I think that this pregnancy is finally starting to catch up with me. I'm feeling slow and sluggish and large...and it's making it a bit difficult to do things as quickly as I did even a few weeks ago. Hopefully that's normal. I don't know because I've never been 30 weeks pregnant before with a 2 year old who constantly needs something. I'm 100% positive I never moved at this pace before I knew what being a mom was actually like.

And then, all of a sudden, I didn't hear snoring on the monitor anymore. So up the steps I went to check on Joshua. I took my camera...and boy am I glad I did. This is what I found.

Immediately, my head didn't hurt quite as bad. This is how I've found Joshua most mornings lately. He'll sit there, waiting like this until I come and get him. Although he's perfectly capable of getting out of his bed and probably even opening the gate at his doorway, he doesn't. I think he likes our playtime in the mornings when he wakes up as much as I do. So I played along with him, asking him where Joshua could be. When I said that I thought maybe he was outside on the roof or he'd already gone downstairs and was cooking breakfast, this is what happened.

And that is why I love getting up in the mornings. It may be early. I may be tired. I may not feel like facing the day and all that it holds. But goodness, I love that face. I love the messed up hair and the messed up covers. I love that he's still snuggling with Bear even after he's done sleeping. And I love that he's THIS happy to see me every single day. What on earth have we ever done to deserve the unconditional love of our children? It has to be one of the most precious blessings in all of our lives.

I hope your morning greeting was just as happy this morning, and I hope it filled your heart and cured your headache the way it did mine.

Now, tomorrow might not go the same way. We're planning to be up and on the road no later than 6:30 to get to Baltimore for a full day of fish/creature watching at the Aquarium. Perhaps I'll take a look at these pictures before I go upstairs to wake up Joshua. He's not quite so happy when the wakeups don't happen on his terms. But I suspect he'll be over it when he sees the first shark or dolphin tomorrow.