Puddles

With a pretty much sleepless night, a stomach ache, and Jeff getting up early to go ice fishing, I had a very strong feeling our little man (who usually sleeps in until almost 9 AM) would choose today to wake up early.

Just after Jeff's alarm went off (about 5 AM), Mason started fussing. Jeff went to his crib to try to settle him down but with no such luck. After a few minutes, Jeff brought Mason to our bed. I thought to myself, 'Hopefully he will doze off quickly so we can get him back in his crib and I can try to get some sleep.' It was then that I saw two very wide, bright eyes starring at me in the dark. It was definitely going to be a long morning.

I laid there tickling Mason's back and started a conversation in my head, "Please Heavenly Father, let us just get a little more sleep. I really don't feel well and I need at least one more hour." Mason rolled over and said "Show?", which is his way of asking you to turn the TV on. I turned Disney cartoons on just as Jeff was leaving and it didn't take long to realize that sleep would not be in our immediate future.

I knew I wouldn't stay awake if we stayed in bed so I took Mason to the living room. At least there he would have his toys to entertain him, giving me a few more minutes of rest (not sleep). I found myself on the couch fighting desperately to keep my eyes open but I could tell I had moments of defeat. Luckily, I am a pretty light sleeper because anytime Mason made a noise I was awake and checking on him. I kept fighting, I wasn't going to give in. After all, everyone knows that a sleeping mother and a curious mischievous toddler are not a good combination. I was doing okay thanks to the fact that Mason kept climbing up and down in my lap. As long as he was on my lap, I allowed myself to close my eyes and "rest" because I knew if he was with me he wasn't getting into trouble. Up and down he went for quite some time. I could tell he wanted to cuddle with me but as soon as he felt like he was going to go to sleep he would get down again.

One last time he crawled up in my lap... I admit, I was "resting" so I didn't really pay much attention. I just pulled the blanket over him as I had been doing all morning. After a bit, he decided to get back down. I helped him and watched as he walked away. I sat straight up and said, "Mason, what are you doing?" There was my almost two year old walking away from me, completely naked from the waist down. I knew he had taken his pajama bottoms off earlier and wasn't concerned with that but there was his little bare butt running across the floor. I started to laugh and scanned the room looking for his diaper. I took him by the hand and headed for his room. He giggled the entire way. I laughed again but also had many questions in my mind. How long had he been without his diaper? How many puddles did he leave on the floor? WHERE were the puddles on the floor? How could I let myself fall asleep enough that I didn't even notice this?

Mason was still squealing with delight as we came back to the living room to start the puddle search. Was it true? Could it really be? I didn't see a single wet spot anywhere! I was so relieved. I couldn't believe it. All I could think was that maybe he hadn't been without the diaper for very long. I knew at that point I had lucked out, I needed to get  up and do something so I could stay awake. I got breakfast ready and walked over by our computer desk to pick Mason up and get him in his highchair. Suddenly, I felt liquid between my toes. I didn't even want to look down. I knew what I had stepped in. But for one brief moment I thought, 'Maybe his sippy cup just leaked.' A girl can hope, right? Well, considering he had milk in his cup and what I was standing in was clear... I knew. It was a large puddle and when I found the main part of this wetness, I saw that it began about halfway up our brand new computer desk and went down onto the floor. Seriously?? I explained to our little guy that he isn't a dog and doesn't need to mark his territory. I couldn't be upset with him since it was my fault for dozing off. I patted his head, put him in his highchair and proceeded to clean up the puddle.

I discovered something today... I always hate rainy days when you are running through a parking lot and step in a huge puddle. You can feel the water gush into your shoe and you have to deal with wet feet, socks, shoes and pant legs the rest of the day... Well, I would rather that happen than step barefoot in a puddle in my living room any day.

FYI... The weather forecast for today calls for galoshes.