Alarm Clocks

You know you're a stay-at-home mom when your alarm clock crawls into bed with you at 5am and is missing a snooze button.

I have 3 of them. Each with an internal clock that never fails, unless, of course, it's to wake up early - at, lets say, 2am. I don't know what it is about 2am, but my kids seem to love it. That's the time that Emily enjoys an extra feeding. That's the time Ethan woke up puking when he was sick. That's the time Eliana....said her first word.

Yup, you read that right. It was 2am, I had just finished nursing her, and I hear "Dada....dada.....dada" Too bad Daddy wasn't there to hear it. It was cute the first 10 times, then I was squinting at the red blurry lights across the hotel room, reminding me of how terribly late the hour was, and I couldn't help but think, "NOW?!?! Okay, wonderful, my daughter can talk - now SHUT UP little darling daughter!" And then she spit up all over the queen-size bed in our hotel sweet.

Right at this moment, there are 5 little alarm clocks all sleeping soundly in their beds. I've got a couple of little nieces here tonight and I wonder what my chances are of getting a full nights sleep. Fat chance, right? Well, miracles do happen.

They were all giggles and grins as they got their PJ's on and made their way to the kids bedroom. Of course, the bed wasn't just a bed - it was a space ship!

Even little Emily could sense the excitement of this little slumber-party. She grasped onto the side rails of her crib with her tiny fists and bounced up and down.

Amarah, my sister's 2 year old, stood in a pack and play, eye-balling Emily's bottle. And the other 3 wild monkeys were jumping and bouncing on the top bunk-bed.

I took their blankets, popped them into the dryer for a few minutes, and delivered the piping hot bedding to their space ship. "Ready for take-off?" I asked. They all giggled with delight as I wrapped them in warm comfort.

And I thought to myself - I should have given them all some Benedryl........I kissed each one on the head and turned out the light, thinking to myself, which little alarm clock will be the first to wake me?