Going with the flow

The screaming started at 3:45 a.m., technically the "morning" but not really the morning at all. I looked at the clock and shut my eyes. There is no way I'm getting out of bed at this ungodly hour.

The screaming escalates and I pull the covers up around my face. Just ignore the screaming and it will stop.

The screaming stops for a moment and that's when I hear it. Knock. Knock. Knock. It gets my attention and I listen harder. The screaming continues, MOMMY. MOMMY! Knock. Knock.
(Yes, that was a Mommy!)

I lumber out of bed and slowly open Sophia's bedroom door and there she is, standing there looking up at me. She's wide awake and in a surprisingly pleasant mood.
It's not wake up time, honey. Let's go back to sleep.

I go potty, Mommy.

OK, let's go to the potty.


It's now 4 a.m. Sophia and I stumble our way into the bathroom. I put the potty seat on the toilet as she pulls down her Pull Ups. I lift her up on the potty. I don't have much faith that she's actually going to do anything, so I tell her that I'm leaving the bathroom to get a new Pull Up because the one she was wearing was wet.

Walking out of the bathroom, I hear the unmistakable sound of peeing in the potty. I'm so excited that she's actually going. She hasn't gone on the potty at home in almost a week, although she's going at daycare. I'm thrilled that she woke up and climbed out of her crib because she had to go to the bathroom. (OK, I'm not so excited about the climbing out of her crib part) But it's FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING and I really don't want to be awake now.
I want to go back to sleep.

With a clean Pull Up in hand, I go back into the bathroom and quietly praise her for going on the potty. I give her a hug, tell her how proud I am of her, and she's thrilled.

I go potty, Mommy.

I know honey, I am so proud of you. But now it's time to go back to sleep.


Inside my head I'm freaking out about putting her back in her crib. What happens if she climbs out again, but this time she falls? So I guide one very proud, happy and wide awake little girl into my bedroom and tell her she can sleep in Mommy's bed, but she has to go to sleep because it's not morning yet.


There she lies, tossing and turning, adjusting pillows and pushing me to the very edge of the bed trying to get comfy. For 45 minutes.

Note sleeping husband. Why, oh why can I not sleep through crying babes like he can? WHY?

Just when I think I'm doomed to be awake for the rest of the day it happens: sweet, sweet silence. She's asleep, and I drift off to sleep and have one of the weirdest dreams I've had in a while.

I was in a car with a very pregnant woman with long brown hair, and we're sightseeing on a busy highway. We get out of the car and explore the side of the road. Then we visit a small home next to the road with a small boy sitting in the front yard.


At 6:30 on the dot, Ryan starts to cry. I need to get him before his crying wakes Sophia. I turn and look at my beautiful sleeping daughter. She's such a big girl I can hardly stand it.

She wakes shortly after Ryan and now the hole house is a awake (note now awake husband). I try to keep the potty momentum going and get her to sit on the potty again. No way. She reminds me that she already went on the potty.

I went potty, Mommy.

Apparently, she has a one-potty-a-day clause and refuses to go for the rest of the morning.
Tonight, I think, Daddy and Mommy will be converting Sophia's crib into a daybed (thank God for the convertible crib) and our little baby girl will be sleeping in a brand new big girl bed for the very first time.

Heaven help us.