"Mommy... Go downstairs!"

I am not a morning person. Never have been and I guarantee I never will be. Some things will just never change. Luckily I have a husband that can feel my pain and always has my coffee ready for me by my bedside when I wake up. Thank God for coffee & husbands that understand!!

I have never been one to make an appointment for anything before noon. Both of the kids went to afternoon preschool and Ellie went to afternoon kindergarten last year. I knew the snobby Moorestown mothers (that all look like Stepford Wives) would look at me and wonder if I owned anything other than sweats. I was always the only Mother at kindergarten drop of without a full face of make-up and pressed clothes. I am dreading Ellie being in first grade next year! I'm starting to prepare myself now!

Ellie is just like me- a little night owl. It takes hours to get her to sleep at night but the extra few hours she sleeps in the morning makes up for it in my book. Ethan on the other hand- will drop like a rock no matter where he is regardless of the time. When he is tired he is tired. But I guess the saying "Early to bed, Early to rise" is true. Ethan will wake up before it's even really light out some mornings. You know that time between 6am and 7am? Where it's just starting to get light outside?

The minute he is awake that's it! He's ready to go! He's up and he expects everyone else to be up with him. At first I hear the "thud" of him climbing out of his bunk-bed and then I know I have to lay as still as I possibly can with my eyes shut tight! It might sound silly to you but I cherish every second of sleep I can get! I feel his little hand touch my arm and he whispers "Mommy, go downstairs." I try not to respond- or if I do it's usually with something to the effect of "it's too early Ethan, come lay down." But that NEVER works and then ALL hell breaks loose! Crying! A crying screaming temper tantrum is what I'm now in store for. What a way to start your day!

After I muster up the energy to sit up and take a few swigs of my usually lukewarm coffee (since Jason so kindly makes if before he leaves for work) I can usually coerce him into my bed with his ITouch (Thank you Apple) for at least another hour. During that hour with one eye open and one eye still shut I try to drown out the combinations of sounds coming from channel three-three, (Noggin) Snood, (a game on the ITouch) and Ethan asking me over a zillion times "Mommy... can we go downstairs?" Some part of me thinks why bother laying in bed I'm never going to get anymore sleep but the other part that's warm and cozy under my blankets understands exactly why.