Theme Four Little Fancy

My son’s first semi-formal dance is so exciting he is dressed in a suit and tie and looks so grown up. I have agreed to let him stay at his girlfriends house with other friends and to pick him up at 1:30 a.m. what possessed me to agree to this on a night my husband is away I will never know. I am struggling to stay awake while my daughter who is wide awake on the couch watching a movie that I have no idea what is going on because I have been steering at the television as if in a trance. I hear a small cry from the end of the hall and know that for some reason the baby has decided that he would like to spend some time with me. I let him cry for a few minutes but can tell that he is building in to a major cry fest that will only get worse and so I make my way down to the end of the hall and see him standing at the end of his crib with his arms out stretched saying mommy, mommy over and over. How could I do anything else but pick him up and hug him to me as I walk back to the rocking chair. He has brought his two favorite blankets with him and snuggles into my chest and goes back to sleep. He is a beautiful baby and I can see my older children in him and have had people tell me he looks like his older brother. This always surprises me because Ash was a gift that was given to us. After rocking my sleeping son for a while I return him to his crib and turn to leave when he pops up like a jack in the box to stretch his arms out and gives me the look that I have never been able to resist. Doing the only thing I could I returned to the rocking chair to rock some more. This time he has decided that I’m not to be trusted and lies with his eyes open. He is watching me and seems to be telling me that he has figured out that if he goes to sleep I will put him back in his bed and he just doesn’t want that. I try to get him to lay with his sister on the couch but he only wants mommy. I know this because he starts yelling my name so loud I think he could wake the neighbors. I have to do the only thing I can and I dress him in his jacket, mittens, and hat and take him with me. My daughter pauses the movie and decides to come with me to help with the baby, but I know it is because she doesn’t like staying at home alone. We leave the house and find out just how cold it is “thank god for the starter on the truck.” The ride is uneventful until we reach 103 Ultra Lounge and see every police officer that Orono has to offer sitting at the Bangor Savings Bank across the street waiting for anyone stupid enough to have been drinking and decides to drive home.
Reaching my destination in Orono I collect my son and his friend and return home as it begins to snow. The snow is light and pretty as it falls to the ground. On reaching the point where the bank is located we see that all the police cars have left and not seeing blue lights flashing believe that the college kids are using their brains and either walked or called a cab to get home. Both boys will camp in the living room for the night because they would be like sardines in my son’s room. Ash decides that he should be able to sleep with the big boys because he has made himself comfortable in my son’s sleeping bag and waves to me. I tell my older son not to roll on him during the night and make my way to my own bed. I am almost asleep when I hear a little voice saying “up mommy, up mommy” I roll over to find Ash. I reach down and pull him into my bed and we snuggle until he finds the remote and hits me on the head with it and points it at the television. I don’t need to be hit in the head more then once, I turn the television on hoping watching ESPN will put him to sleep. This is not to be of course and Ash leaves my bed to return to the living room once again. I follow and find him once again in my son’s sleeping bed and looking like he will finally go back to sleep. After all it is after 2:30 and a two year old can’t have that much energy. Right? I return to my bed and find the dog sleeping on my pillow and he looks like he belongs there. After pushing him over I crawl in and finally lay down. Once again just before I fall a sleep I hear this little voice saying “up mommy, up mommy.” I turn and think this can’t be happening and as I pull Ash up on the bed I begin to tell him that mommy is tired and we need to go to sleep, he shakes his head up and down and cuddles in. After having kisses and hugs he turns his head and just like that he goes to sleep.
Way to soon I hear my son saying “up mommy, up mommy” only this time he is telling me it is time to get up and it is only 7:30 in the morning and my head feels like I might have been one of the people I saw leaving the bar last night.