Before the Crack of Dawn

Again this morning Aidan was up with the chickens. Maybe even before the chickens. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure when chickens wake up. When I put him down last night around 9 PM, he woke up a few minutes later. We rocked in the rocking chair and drank some water, then I laid down next to him until he fell asleep. I think most of his problem was a stopped up nose. At 4 AM he was up again and Jason ran in to get him. I could hear them "arguing" through the darkness.

Aidan was crying more than usual and Jason was having a more difficult time than usual with trying to figure out what was being called for. I could hear that faint "Mommy!" between the cries. I was reluctant to jump up and save the day. Early on Jason complained that I never gave him a chance to solve Aidan's problems and soothe him. I waited for quite a while before intervening. The problem is that when Aidan wakes up in the wee hours he's somewhat disoriented and isn't sure what he needs either. He'll ask for food and then ask for sleep and then alternate between the two before either can be accomplished.

Finally I went into Aidan's room and asked if I could help. Aidan lept into my arms and instantly went silent. I felt bad for Jason but really Aidan seems to idolize whichever parent is not available. There have been times when the sight of Mommy was far too stimulating and overwhelming, so Daddy had to take over. I was standing up holding him and suddenly he said, "Rocking chair!" We rocked for a while until he calmed down and then he asked for food and water. Jason helped us prepare breakfast. After eating, Aidan went peacefully back to sleep as if nothing had ever occurred. I think he really wanted to nurse but the closest he got to a request was to say, "Sun. More sun." I'm sure he was expressing his frustration and sadness over the fact that the sun was still not up.