Startled Awake

Being a mother has heightened my ability to suddenly wake up in the night.  Certain sounds - a muffled cry from the crib, a rustling roll from our toddler's room, a loud creak centering from who knows where - seem to switch my eyes from closed to open so quickly that I feel a little dazed.  Often when that occurs, I have not a chance of getting back to sleep.

My baby has an ability to sleep almost anywhere and in nearly every position.  However, there are times when he, too, is startled awake.  One moment, Ezra is asleep on some soft surface; the next, a little head pops up and large eyes seek out the offending noise-maker.  Usually the offending noise-maker is Joseph, my two-year-old.  Perhaps he's "do-do-do-ing" in his own song while marching and waving something shakeable.  Other times, he's whizzing past the play pen, foot-falls slapping the wood laminate like little thunder claps.  And often, he pushes a loud truck or train by the baby's head and chances to emit a whistle or honk at just the wrong time.

I'm usually good about keeping Joseph quiet when Ezra sleeps, but sometimes it's a huge task.  At times like these, I often need a double dose of patience.  So often, I feel as if my bottle of patience is nearly empty.  But Ezra is quite patient.  Instead of crying at the startling, he often smiles or plops his head back down to doze and dream some more.  Or, he's so amazed at what his older brother is doing that he wants to join him in the chaos.

For me, listening to the sing-song voice of my toddler and seeing my baby's gum-gaping grin remind me of life's jumbled joys.  It's hard to contain excitement that is bubbling over.  Such joy necessitates sharing!  So, fellow adventurer, what joy bubbles over for you?  Even when you are startled awake, how have you turned the experience into something grand?