3 Boys {in the morning}

{This is a part of a series I'll be doing in 2013, a portrait of each of my boys every week of the year.}

The 3rd week in January 

Parker 

I wake you each morning at 7am. Neither of us likes this very much. I usually stand beside your bed and rub your back until you start making a move to sit up. It'll take a couple of minutes. Last night you had an unusual night, waking twice in tears. The first time you came to me in bed and I could hardly make sense of what you were saying. You were really shaken up. You'd obviously had a bad dream and kept saying over and over, "I want to go to heaven." I assured you that you were (there is no doubt, little man, that you love God with all of your heart) but your entire body shook as you sat next to me and I held you while you cried. And then again at 4:30am, you woke in tears, but this time it was an ache in your hip. Growing pains I think. All this to say that at 7am, when I woke you to get ready for school, you said, "Mom, I'm sorry for waking you up twice last night. I remember the second time but I can't remember why I woke the first time." Now I'm used to waking up a lot for you kids at night but you're the first to apologize for doing it. I was amazed by that. But that's just how you are. 

Monty 

You usually wake around the same time as Parker does but just because you hear him get out of bed and don't want to miss out on anything. Though this morning you slept until about 8. If you wake early, you take as many stuffed toys as you can hold in your arms and you head to the couch, where I cover you up with a quilt and you enjoy cartoons for at least 30 minutes. You're not ready to eat right away. You tend to snuggle those blankets and softies all morning, until it's time to get ready for school and eventually head off. But even then, you hide at least one or two in your backpack to take along. It's just so cute!

Elliot 

I never know when you'll wake. One month it'll be a consistent 6:45 and another a 7:40. You can't seem to get into a rhythm that lasts longer than a few weeks before you change it up for me. At least, dear one, it's not 6am or earlier cause that I could not handle. As soon as I walk through your door (I know you're up because you yell "MOM" as loud as you're able to) you say to me "hi-morning" and I sit on your bed. Every day, you lay your head on my lap and I play with your hair for a few minutes. Then you put one duppy over my right shoulder and one duppy over my left and climb into my lap, holding me around my neck like you always have, a tight little monkey. Then we go to the kitchen and you get your cereal ready. All on your own! You get a bowl and then move the stool over to the cupboard, reaching for the box of cereal. You pour it yourself and get yourself down and after I put in some milk, you carry it to the table. There are even mornings when I'm busy and I'll find you sitting at the table with a bowl of dry cereal. So independent and clever.