Growing up, I would be the grumpiest person in the morning. I hated mornings--Correction: I loathed mornings.-- My idea of the perfect day would begin at 10:00a.m. Now that I have done research on child psychology and sleep behavior, I know that kids are chemically programmed to have late starts to their days. Their brains function at a much higher level if they can begin the thinking process at around 9:00 in the morning. This explains a lot. Through my college days I would stay up late and get up mid-morning, if possible.
Now that I'm an adult, and more importantly a parent, I have a drastic change of heart when it comes to my favorite time of day. Almost like clockwork, my internal alarm goes off at 6a.m. I scurry down the hall with the eager anticipation that is only equal to a child's anticipation of great surprises waiting for her on Christmas morning. I peek my head into Lilly's room and inhale slowly and deeply. The sigh that emits from my body is of pure contentment. It took me 27 years to realize what contentment feels like. If the morning is really perfect, Lilly will still be asleep breathing deeply as her rosy cheeks surround her half open mouth. I usually watch her sleep for a little while before jumping back in bed to snuggle with my stillnotsuchamorningperson husband. At around 7:00 I hear rustling from Lilly's room and know she is awake and starving! I pick up my bundle of love and squeeze and kiss her all the way back to my bedroom. Then, our family of three snuggle in bed while Lilly eats and takes breaks to grab Daddy's nose or brush her arm at him, making sure she still has his rapt, although very groggy, attention. It's obvious Matt enjoys this time of day as much as I do. The impossible to wake man has no problem smiling and softly talking to his legacy. He enjoys every pulled hair, every slobbery kiss she offers, and every chance he has to connect with his family. Matt and I often link hands as our creation lays between us. It is in those moments that I most feel like we are a unit. Our entire world is in that bed. We have each other.
