THAT BOY!

Well, it happened again...  that boy decided he didn't want to let us sleep last night.  I told him I had a busy day at work, needed to get up at 5:30 and all that jazz, but he just doesn't seem to care.  Right about midnight, just as I was nice and settled in, Carver decided it was time to wake up.  Mommy usually comes to the rescue, but for some reason I took the bait last night. 

So, being the dutiful loving husband and father that I am (when it's convenient my wife says), I swept the boy up out of his crying frenzy and tried to rock him back to sleep.  Of course, I kept all the lights out and tried to be as calming as possible so we wouldn't make mommy get up.  We settled into the rocking chair, Carver resting his head on my shoulder and all looked hopeful for a quick and easy put back.  Then it happened...  15 minutes into the soothing routine I had carefully mapped out I started feeling a bit of dampness on my bare chest.  I'm an idiot.  I neglected to thoroughly investigate the source of Carver's cries, but now it's clear to me that he had soaked through his diaper, his pajamas, his sheets and now his daddy.

I guess it was fitting.  After all, I had been the one to put on the last diaper before bedtime, so I'm sure I did something wrong.  Maybe I'll learn eventually.

Regardless of the unfortunate moisture on my chest and the putrid odor that went along with that, there is a sense of joy in rocking Carver during the night.  You see, during the day, he rarely ever slows down enough to allow us to just sit there and hold him.  Nope, he's far too busy to be bothered with being held in a rocking chair.  So, despite the inconvenience of being awakened in the middle of the night, these times are special.  Holding that boy, rocking him, soothing him, protecting him, praying for him, planning for him - all reasons that make those nightly interruptions bearable.

So, Carver, next time daddy tells you I need to sleep so don't wake me up, know that I don't really mean that.  You can wake me up anytime you need me, just as long as you let me hold you and rock you for a while.

I love THAT BOY!