Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Mornings



There's a delicate balance that needs to be set in the mornings.  So many moving parts, so much pre-planning...  It involves child, husband, bathroom, cats, and, of course, the all-important cup of coffee.

Samantha wakes up early, like between 5:45 and 6am early.  But the cat wakes up even earlier, like 5am early.  Now that's just fine on the mornings that I go to the gym and am out of the house before 5am (haha, fooled you, kitty!), but on those precious other days, it really sucks.  At 5, I'll tiptoe downstairs, the cat racing down ahead of me towards his food bowl, then I'll grab him, chuck him under the baby gate guarding the stairs to the basement, then move the gate down so he can't get out.  Theeeen... I'll tiptoe back upstairs, ever-so-careful not to wake sleeping child (or husband) prematurely, crawl back into bed, and go back to sleep until Samantha's voice on the monitor at the foot of the bed wakes me soon after.

Steve's a bit of a late-owl, so I like to be able to let him get his beauty's sleep as much as possible (since he gets to take over all the craziness after I leave for work).  Once I hear Samantha's awake, I turn off the monitor and then it's a bit of a race to get to her to ensure that she's still dry, and get her on the potty.  However, a few things need to happen first - the cat needs to be freed from his prison, and he and the other cat (who would likely have made her presence known soon enough) need their food (litter box is in the basement with him, other cat is upstairs with no litter box access...I don't like to press my luck any more than I have to, given their advanced ages...).  So I hurry downstairs, free the criminal, feed them both, put the electric kettle on and prepare some instant coffee in a cup (I like instant - so sue me...). 

By this time, Samantha will have started calling for me.  We don't want to have the child lock on her bedroom door for too much longer, but we have to figure out how to jury-rig the metal baby gate at the top of the upstairs landing so the cats can still come and go (trust me, you don't want them howling during the night when they can't come and go as they please!) and the child will be deterred from making an unscheduled trip downstairs (I don't think she'd wander down there, but for safety's sake, since she's not completely confident on stairs going down, especially not when half-asleep, I'd rather there was something basic guarding the path).

I go into her room, still without my coffee, usually, as it was still working hard on reaching a boil when I left it, exchange good morning kisses with my beautiful Morning Sunshine Princess, and answer her inquiries as to whether or not I had a good sleep, then get her into the bathroom where I congratulate her and give her a high five for being dry yet again.  All while shushing her to be quiet and begging her to whisper (ugh, she knows the concept, but refuses to do it when it's absolutely necessary!) so as not to wake Daddy.  After the bathroom, she wants to go back into her room and play, sometimes giving Mommy the fake-out and running into Mommy & Daddy's room to rudely awaken Daddy (he's a good sport, though - who wouldn't be, with Samantha as the reason for being forced awake?).  Once she's back in her room, I have to convince her that I need to close her door for a minute, go and get my coffee, and then come back to play with her.  That rarely goes down well, but I seriously, seriously need my coffee, and no amount of fake tears and whining can stop me.  Does that make me a bad mommy? 

And here I sit now, after having gone to retrieve my coffee, while listening to her on the downstairs monitor playing joyfully with her dolls and her books in her room, overjoyed to have squeaked out a few minutes of personal alone time, just me, my coffee and the computer.  A good way to slowly, painlessly, pull me out of my stuperous sleep zone, ready now to face the morning properly.

And that's just the first half-hour...  The rest of the morning is equally precariously balanced, especially on school days, but we've got it down to a science, and it works.

What kind of daring-do, high-wire balancing acts do you do in your house each morning?

Cirque du Soleil, here I come!

12 comments:

Education: Exploring Online Learning said...

Summer vacation has vastly improved things. Here's the school year schedule.

I wake up at 5 and pump. (I'd just nurse sweet Ellie, but her wake up time can vary, and teachers can't just "show up late.") I start the coffee while I get the pumping stuff out, and post-pumping, guzzle coffee, burn mouth, and eat cereal.

Then I run upstairs, try to be quiet, and get myself looking somewhat presentable for a day of teaching. Oh, and I have to find clothes post-baby that fit.

Then, usually while I'm in the shower, sweet Ellie starts to wake up. And screams. Zero to sixty. Grab baby, feed her, pray she goes back to sleep in the swing so I can make sure I walk out the door wearing matching shoes.

I run upstairs, wake sleeping husband, kiss baby in swing, and get on 395.

Just writing that out makes me grateful for summer. Ellie is laying on the floor in a diaper playing with her music box and I'm in workout clothes, but have yet to run.

Meriah said...

I do the one I just did: try and slip out of bed without waking The Princess (if she's sleeping with us, that is) and get into the kitchen to make coffee and write without anyone waking up.

This shouldn't be hard yet it is as our place is literally the size of a walk-in closet in some homes I've seen... :)

Pallavi said...

Thank god we don't have any cats :)

You wake up at 5am? what time do you sleep?
We sleep at 11pm and wake up post 7 am. I have heard Indians eat their dinner late and are late risers.. just curious..

mama to j and bean said...

Ok, that picture, beautiful!

My kids have been going to bed too late lately so they have been sleeping in (good!). BUT - it's always a chore keeping the first one awake quiet until the other one is up. They are both young. And very loud!

Crazy Beautiful Love said...

In my house, sometime between 5:30 and 6am a baby cries wanting to be fed and changed.
Can I just point out how "normal" it all is...isn't that great? Just thinking how there was once a time that i know all of us with w/"special" kiddos once thought there would never be a normal again. Yay for NORMAL!!
We do not have any cats...YET! Your post is a very good example of why!
-erin

Anna said...

Your schedule brings me to tears. Really. After reading poster above we must be part indian! (truthfully I know my grandmother was. giggle) I think most of my prob is battling anemia, constantly. We eat supper at 7 when husband returns from work/gym. Then little G goes to bed at 9 us by 10:30. No cats. our dogs are let out with papa and wait on me to get up for breakfast. Papa gets little G up, puts her on the potty and in bed with mama and turns my alarm on. Set for a time that rhymes with straight. So we dont sleep later!!!( that picture is heaven on earth BTW)

alicia said...

first to go along with my story, i have to say that Mexican homes doesnt have central airs, if you have the money you can have in each room whatever electronic device to calm the heat you can afford. in our case, we had, in Elias and in our room window condition air, is that the correct name? anyhow, couple months ago we bought a mini-split for our room, so, right now is our favorite place of the house :) specially when you have everyday weather of 104F

ok, so now that the background is set :) Elias has been sleeping in our room for the past couple months, since we have a queen bed, and Elias moves a lot while he sleeps, we bought a sleeping bag and he sleeps besides our bed

so now, our morning-dancing goes like this

6:30 hubby wakes up-takes a shower, and when he is out he wakes me up
7am - i make him bagle with Philadelphia and nutella for breakfast, wich he doesnt eat at home but at work, i also make a banana-shake for me, and prepare Elias lunch (usually some crakers, yogurt, and rice w/milk a mexican desert)
by 7:20 my husband goes to work, and Elias wakes up asking for daddy, since he just left, he missed it the goodbye and always ask if daddy is going to come back at night. lol.

so around 7:30 Elias goes to the toilet and then to take a shower, and usually stays there playing a little. So I prepare his clothes (he wears uniform to school, and I always clean his shoes, i keep forgetting to do this the day before) then go and put shampooo and soap, and when he is rinsing I drink my banana-shake, and when I finish I go and see if all shampoo is gone, and he is out of shower usually around 7:45

i turn on tv on disney junior, while he watches tv and get dress, and eat some grapes or squares from quaker, I take a shower

So by 8:15 we must have been all dress up, with teeth brushed and going down stairs to pick up Elias lunch bag, and my purse, and hopefully minutes later going out of the house

Rochelle said...

WOW after reading this I need a nap. LOL After that first 30 minutes I bet you are ready to take on the world. We were just giggling at seeing your live traffic feed from Ukraine. HMmm wonder who that is?

Unknown said...

I love my mornings...I have to admit I hate to share them...I work out at 430 am and am in the shower by 6 am...it is the only time in my day for me...cup coffee...Mike n Mike in the morning on ESPN...and Maddie wakes up at 6:48 am...every morning..not sure why! Max wakes up shortly after and we are go go go until nap time!! gotta love a good cup of joe! smiles

Krista said...

I love mornings too!

Heather said...

Lately it looks like this:Up for a run.6am.Home.A load of laundry in.Dishwasher emptied.Shower.Dress me.Listen for Zoey on the monitor.Wait for the boys to stir.Make her milk and breakfast.Up with her.Potty with her.Dress and fed her.Load of laundry in the dryer.Pool bag for swim lessons ready.Boys up.Make their beds.Make mine.Out the door for therapy at 8.Therapy over at 9.Back home.Potty with z for the 3rd time.Grab the boys.Head to swim lessons.Pull in the parking lot at 9:55....You so do not want to know what the rest of the day has held!Good thing I am a morning girl.Bad thing that I average 12:30 am as my bedtime.

Love that picture of your girl.

Melissa said...

Mornings are just Claire and I. Darren is off to work right about the time we are getting up (6am). Fast shower for me. Breakfast for us both. Me dressed, Claire dressed. Get stuff packed for daycare. Out of the house by 7:30.

Claire is up at the same time no matter when she goes to bed though. She was 2 hours late getting to sleep with fireworks, and still up at 6. She was just very cranky...