At what point will they suddenly decide that it's not important anymore? Will I remember the day it stops? Or will it remain a sweet, cherished tradition for many more years?
These were just a few of the questions floating through my head around 7 this morning. I typically wake up first and have to lay there until all the kids thunder down the stairs and jump into bed with me for our much coveted 'Cuddle Time'. If I 'accidentally' wake up too early and decide to be efficient and start my day before the kids wake up - it is not a good thing. It normally involves me having to get back in bed and pretend everything is normal, like I just woke up. If I made the bed, it might just send one into a meltdown. Thus, sometimes I unmake the bed and jump back in just to show the kids how much I value our time honored tradition. So, it just doesn't pay for me to be efficient or wake up early.
Each child, from the time they slept in their own bed, would instantly come running to my side of the bed in the morning with at least one book in hand ready to cuddle and read. Sometimes we would end up 'cuddling' for a good 30 minutes. I had to begin to limit the amount of books they could bring in the morning. First of all, I can't stand my own morning breath and felt horrible that they had to put up with it while I read aloud 10 books immediately upon clearing the sleep out of my eyes. Thankfully, love covers a multitude of 'sins' and they never mentioned it to me.
The joy is just in being together. Talking about last night's dreams, what we should do today, what was their favorite part of yesterday, what powers their latest imaginary superhero possesses...you know, all the important things in life. If I don't write it down now, I'm afraid I might forget something that I've taken for granted for the past 7 or so years.
With each new child comes a new obstacle though. When Bennett was born, Gavin had to learn to 'share' Mommy as I tried to hold his book, read to him, and balance Bennett's bottle between my neck as I tried to feed him with no hands. Then as he got older, we had to decide who's book to read first and which side does each kid get. Trust me - side matters. Nobody wants to get stuck on the side that is closest to Daddy. For some reason, that's just never been the coveted spot. Then along came Chloe. I don't have three sides...so where does the last person in lay? This is a dilemma that still plagues us to this day. Chloe feels she has inherent rights to be glued next to me at all times. We are both princesses after all (she even greets me in the morning with, "Good morning, Cinderella!"). Bennett will take a diving leap from the doorway and try to jump on my bed just to secure the only other open spot next to me. Then that leaves Gavin getting 'stuck' laying next to Daddy or worse yet, next to a sibling. Recently, this problem has been solved in a very creative way, Chloe lays on top of me. Or once in a blue moon, someone is kind enough to 'give up' his or her spot. But I know some major bribing or blackmailing must have been going on behind my back to pull that off.
It used to be, that if 7 am rolled around and no one was snuggled up next to me, I began to worry that someone was sick. No one would sleep past 7 am on their own accord and no one would just not come in to see me. But as of late, sometimes they don't. Chloe, of course, is old faithful, she's there at the exact same time every morning. But often times the boys play for a while first, or read to each other, or go get their breakfast.
I know that day will be just around the corner. Time travels so fast anymore. The simple things in life are treasured here. Cuddle time reminds me of the simplicity, joy and excitement of childhood; of sharing silly thoughts with the person who cares more than anything in the world and who doesn't only pretend to act interested, but really is!
