My Second Best Hour

My, how my life has changed since I wrote this post almost one year ago...

My Best Hour (in July 2011, during my husband's deployment, during my pregnancy)

Just another typical, average morning...

4:00a.m. - I awake thinking I heard my two-year-old daughter calling for me.

4:20a.m. - Two-year-old is actually SCREAMING for me.

4:30a.m. - Daughter refuses to cuddle with me in my bed, still SCREAMING b/c she wants to go downstairs.

4:31a.m. - Six-month-old puppy starts to whine and bark.

4:33a.m. - Daughter sits on the couch while I put the puppy outside.

4:40a.m. - Puppy starts to wake up entire neighborhood with her barking and chasing after a stray cat.

4:41a.m. - Me, in my PJs and disheveled hair, chasing the puppy who is chasing the cat in the backyard.

4:45a.m. - Two-year-old daughter is eating only the marshmallows from a bowl of Lucky Charms.

4:50a.m. - My four-year-old is now awake and asking for a bowl of Lucky Charms.

4:55a.m. - I vow to never buy Lucky Charms again as I vacuum up all of the non-marshmallow bits.

5:00a.m. - I chase my two-year-old who pooped in her diaper & is now running off, diaperless.

Now, it is 2012, and this is how my typical, average morning unfolds...

5:00a.m. - Nurse my baby for the 2nd or 3rd time and watch her go back to sleep in her crib effortlessly (something my other two girls never ever, not once, did)

5:20a.m. - Cuddle with my husband if he has not already left for work.

5:30a.m. - Stretch, curl under my blankets, and listen to the birds sing outside.

5:35a.m. - Smile at the sound of little 3 and 5 year old feet running down the hall to my room.

5:45a.m. - Get sandwiched by my two older daughters as they cuddle with me in my bed.

5:50a.m. - Listen to my daughters scamper back to their room to get dressed for the day.

6:00a.m. - Take a 10 minute shower, a luxury, knowing my baby won't wake up for another 10 minutes or so.

Yes, it is wonderful to have a baby who sleeps well and to have children who are just a little bit more independent than they were just one year ago.