Chad's alarm goes off at 7:00. He gets up, showers and gets ready for work. I usually wake up at the same time, but I stay in bed until Alec wakes up, usually around 7:15. Occasionally he'll wake up full of energy and run into our room yelling, "Wake up! Wake up! The sun is up!" But more commonly he comes over to our bedroom still half asleep and hops in bed with me to snuggle. We'll snuggle for a few minutes (ok, sometimes a half hour), and then I'll turn on Disney Junior for him to watch while I get myself ready. Chase usually wakes up between 7:30 and 8:00, but he tends to be a bit lazy in the morning and prefers to hang out in his crib and wake up slowly. So it's usually closer to 8:30 or so when I go in to get him. And then our day begins.
Most mornings this routine works just fine for us. But some days we have plans that start earlier, Chad has an early morning meeting or something else comes up that creates the need for a different routine. This usually doesn't cause much trouble (other than maybe an extra tantrum or two because we don't have time to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). But I have learned something very interesting from these mornings. I have learned that Alec has a super power.
His super power is almost like a sixth sense. It is a sense that wakes him from even the most sound sleep to alert him that Mommy has gotten up before he has. You see, if Chad has to get up early, he could set his alarm for 6:00, trip over toys on the way to the bathroom (sending them into loud, obnoxious choruses of music and noise, which in turn make the dog bark in alarm), bang the shower door closed, proceed to drop his shampoo bottle not once, but twice (causing loud thuds and perhaps an exclamation of frustration) and slam the door on the way out of the house at 6:45, all while Alec sleeps soundly in his room down the hall. But if for some crazy reason I decide I want to get up at 6:00 (say maybe I want some quiet time with a cup of coffee before the house turns into a tornado zone), the scene is very different. I quietly tip-toe to the bathroom and barely have time to put in my contacts before Alec comes running over in a full blown panic because I am up before he has climbed into my bed.Now don't get me wrong. I enjoy our snuggle time immensely. I love cuddling with him and just enjoying some nice one-on-one time with him. I know that some day, probably sooner than I am ready, this snuggle time will come to an end. But as much as I cherish this time, every once in a while it would be nice to be able to get myself ready while the rest of the house (or at least the kids) sleeps quietly.
After I discovered that Alec has a superpower, I began to wonder whether Chase happens to have any special superpowers as well. And wouldn't you know he does! It didn't take me long to realize that Chase has been graced with the super power of controlling my emotions. It amazes me how one minute he can make steam come out of my ears, while the next minute he has me thinking that he's the sweetest child in the world. Alec may have a touch of this power as well, but Chase has it mastered.
Chase also happens to have the strength that comes along with being a superhero. Now granted I'm not what most would consider a large person. But for a petite 5-foot mom (5'3" with good heels!), I like to think that I have some impressive strength in me. I built up my arm strength as a drummer in high school and college, and I was the girl's push-up champion in high school. I have no problems lifting or carrying around my boys, who range from about 25-35 pounds. So you'd think changing the diaper of my 21-month-old would be a piece of cake. But the second I lay Chase on his changing table, his super-human strength comes out. I suddenly have to muster all my energy just to hold him still long enough to slide the dirty diaper off and the clean diaper on. That action alone makes me break a sweat. When there's a "number two" involved and I need to break out the wipes, it's all I can do to keep from sitting on Chase just to make sure he has a clean rear end. Most mornings I'm already exhausted by 8:35 simply from the act of getting Chase a clean diaper.I guess it's pretty cool to have kids who are superheroes. As long as they don't try to fly off the house, I think I can handle it. Who knows... maybe some day they'll even rescue me from a burning building. But it does leave me with just one question... If both of my children are superheroes, does that make me Supermom?
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