Morning

"DAAAAADDDDDDYYYYYYY!" comes the call from the boys room. I look at the clock.  2:54. In 6 minutes I have to get up and get ready for work.

"DAAAAADDDDYYYYYYY!" It's Alex. That's unusual. Usually it's Max screaming for one of us in the middle of the night.

"I don't have to get up yet" I grumble to John and he grunts and gets up to see what Alex needs before he wakes the Hulk (aka Max).  JOhn and I have a deal, whoever has to get up in the morning gets to sleep through the night time wake up calls.  John's been doing the get-ups at night since I've been working.

I can hear John whispering to Alex through the baby montor, I guess Alex had to pee. The kid is 4 and a half and has no idea he can just get out of bed whenever he wants. He always yells for us to get him up.  He doesn't even have a gate on the side of his bed anymore.

My alarm goes off.  It's set to a country music station at full blast. Ensuring I don't just hit the snooze and go back to sleep because I can't STAND that music and I can only stomach it for the split second it takes for me to switch it off.

I get up and take a quick shower and dress, then shuffle to the boys' bathroom to see if Alex is ok. I'm worried he's sick. He only ever gets up at night if he's sick. I meet him and John in the hallway and Alex is perfectly fine, yet inexplicably  wide eyed, dragging his blankie behind him with his thumb in his mouth.  He looks up at me and smiles.  Without a word, he holds up his arms. A silent request to pick him up.  I do and ask him if he wants to get into bed with Daddy for the rest of the night, I have to work and would he like to keep my spot warm for me?  "Yes" he says.

John falls back into bed and I tuck Alex into my spot in the bed. "Do you want the towel side or soft side?" I ask him, referring to his blakie which has a rough worn side and a soft fluffy side, which side to put close to his body.  "Soft side" he says.  "I'll get you a drink sweetie" I tell him and go get a cup of juice.

Whe I return he's laying down and in the dark, looks like he's asleep. "Do you want a sip?" I whisper.  "Yes" he whispers back and sits up.  I give him the cup and he takes a small sip.

"Thank you" he says  
"You're welcome" I reply.

"Mommy?"
"Yes baby?"
"I miss you when you're gone"
"I miss you when I'm gone too"
"Can I have a hug and a kiss?"

He reaches for me and kisses me, then gives me a tight squeeze.

"Can I have an eskimo kiss?"

We rub noses.

"I love you Alex"
"I love you Mommy"

I don't want to go. I want to snuggle into bed with him and hold him until morning. I can't. I have to go to work.  I kiss him again on the forehead and walk out of the room.

"Daddy" I hear Alex whisper to John
"Yeah" John grunts
"Can I snuggle?"
"Sure Buddy"