3:31 AM

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Before I even open my eyes, I know it’s 3:31 am.  Josiah has entered our dark, sleepy bedroom. Happens lately, just about every night. OK, so some nights, it’s 3:30 and not 3:31, but seriously, we JUST turned our clocks back an hour.  Shouldn’t that impact this even a little?

Josiah has been (knock on wood) sleeping so very well for so very long now, I shudder to think this is becoming a new pattern. Yet, I know it is.

He enters our room in various ways.  Sometimes he is quiet and stands motionless by my side of the bed. Sometimes, he barges in, swinging the door with great gusto, laughing as he enters.
Sometimes, I hear him bouncing on his knees even before he makes his presence known.
Occasionally, I’ll hear the water in my sink running.

Doesn’t matter how he wakes me.  When I open my eyes and look at the clock, it’s almost always 3:31 am.  It’s 3:31 am when he realizes he is wet and needs me.  So, we make our way to the bathroom.  Josiah gets a fresh pair of pj’s, clean sheets if necessary and a kiss on the cheek as I tuck him back in his bed.

I’m well aware as I exit his room and make my way back to my own, Josiah will most likely not fall back to sleep. His day has begun and he is ready for some fun. Nonetheless, I snuggle under my blankets and hope I am wrong, praying for a few more hours rest.

Most often, as happened this morning, Josiah bursts back in our room, full of energy and bounces wildly on our bed.  This is the point when I’d like to gently call out, ‘Josiah is awake. Please come get him.  He may want to go for a ride.’  As if someone working the night shift will come running and say, ‘Yes ma’am, I’ve got him. Go back to sleep and don’t you worry about a thing dear’.

Rick and I are the night shift.  We are the day shift, the sick shift and the holiday shift.

So in those moments when I really want someone else to handle it, I simply pretend I don’t hear him.  There, I’ve said it.  I hesitated even to write it but it’s out now.  If I am sleeping more deeply than Rick and he hears him first, he will almost always jump up to take over. You’ve just gotta love that man.

If the night shift  (Rick) jumps on it, I feel free to keep on sleeping.

Josiah stays up until it’s time to really start our happy day. This morning, my 4-6 hour, full focus, mental energy drink provided energy for less than 30 minutes.  I trudged through the morning, a wee bit grumpy doing my Mommy jobs.  Josiah was full steam ahead the whole time.

Then, shortly before his bus was to arrive, just as I sat to tie the laces on his tennis shoes, his eye lids began to droop.  Josiah will be a little late to school today.  He fell asleep just outside my bedroom door.

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