Early in the morning my kindly torturer sneaks into my bed and snuggles in beside me as I drift back to sleep.
Then she rolls over, and sighs.
Then she kindly covers me with half of her nasty, soggy, stinky, chewed on blanket.
Then she wiggles.
Then she gently rubs my back.
Then she sighs and traces the line of my pajama top ever so gently.
Then she rubs my foot.
Then she traces the letters on my pajamas with her finger.
Then she cuddles in next to me.
She never says a word, she’s very quite, very gentle, very kind.
When I give in and open my eyes and say good morning she gives me a hug and says she loves me, I return the sentiment.
But the kind, gentle, loss of that last hour of sleep is so painful.
Keeping my mouth shut so as not to scream:Â “STOP TOUCHING ME! GET OUT OF MY BED! I’M SLEEPING!” requires so much will power.
Not crushing her spirit as I throw her from the room requires so much effort from my sleepy brain.
Then I start the day swinging between guilty feelings about my decidedly unkind thoughts about my kind daughter and feeling completly justified in my irritation that my day started out with a bit of torture.
There is something magic about that last hour of sleep. Go ahead interrupt me every hour all night, pee in your bed causing me to change it at three AM, cry, whine, throw up, anything, all night, whatever, whenever.
Just please, please let me sleep that last hour.
Please?!?
Behind the Willows 
I commiserate with you. My baby wakes up one hour before I really want to wake up. Then the rest will pile up in our bed soon enough. There is a magic about that last hour – it allows me to deceive myself into thinking that I had enough sleep. 🙂
Ooops, I forgot to add that the photo of your daughter is gorgeous. Nicely done photograph. 🙂
Thanks, and I like that “…it allows me to deceive myself into thinking that I had enough sleep” I think that’s exactly right!
Ivy couldn’t possibly be a torturer, I thought she only tortured with questions? I don’t have morning torturers anymore, but sometimes it would be nice 😉
Not to worry she hasn’t given up on the questioning, she’s a mufti-faceted torturer. 🙂
Ten years from now, when she’s sleeping in until half-past afternoon, and giving you grumpy sounds when you’re trying to wake her up for school, you’ll be wanting your “torture” back 🙂
Beautiful picture, beautiful child.
It’s a very sweet, loving husband that wakes me when I’m badly needing sleep. . .and his feelings are so easily hurt, if I even hint that maybe he should let me sleep when I can. (He can catch a nap whenever, whereas, sleep is problamatic for me.) This isn’t a big complaint though–I wouldn’t trade him for any other guy in the whole wide world!