Good Morning, Good Morning!!

My Dear Caden,

Just so you know, if I haven't shared this before, by nature I am not a morning person. Maybe it's the years of show business that turned me into a night owl, but I'm pretty much sure I've always been this way. Now I admire those who wake up fresh and ready to meet whatever the day will bring...the times I've HAD to wake up early I've enjoyed the calmness that the early morning has to offer, I just have never been able to willingly get myself up. Now my mother, (your nana) never seemed to have that hard of a time waking up, in fact, she would be soooo chipper and cheerful in the morning it used to make me CRAZY!!! Oh my GOSH I HATED that she was so darn happy so early!! :) When I was growing up we had intercoms in our rooms and the worst part of having those was when it was time for your uncles and me to wake up, your nana would get on the intercom and sing this morning sound nice and loud and happy....

"Good morning, good morning, good morning, it's time to rise and shine....
Good morning, good morning, good morning, I hope you're feeling fine....
Good morning get up get out of bed, it's time to get up you sleepy head,
The day is dawning just for you and all your dreams are coming true.....
Doodly doo doodly doo doodly doo!!!!

I WOULD GO CRAZY I HATED THAT SONG SO MUCH!!!! I think it was the "doodly doo's" that got to me more than anything. Nobody should be doodly-dooing that early in the morning. Nobody. There is just no excuse for that!!! The very sad and twisted part of this story is that I have started to sing that wicked song to you. How could I be so cruel to someone I love so dearly??? How could I pass that awful tradition on? I think that every time those words come out of my mouth but I just can't seem to help it, and I can just hear my mother's voice shouting that song out... Aaargh!! I always envisioned her leaping out of bed to sing that song. I don't leap...I've never leapt. I groan and roll over when my alarm goes off....I hunker deeper under the covers, reaching one hand out to smack the snooze button...again and again until I absolutely have to get up. I have to admit, now that I am forced to get up earlier because of you,(that's ok, I forgive you) it's not so bad....your smile can do wonders for me. Still, when you are old enough to open the refrigerator, I'm going to set a bowl of cereal out on the table and let you get your breakfast yourself...maybe you can even bring mommy a bowl... Kidding!!! :)

So after being a mommy for seven months now, and having to get up earlier than I thought was legal before, I have actually been more able to function in the early morning hours. I still need eight to eight and a half hours of sleep a night to function my very best. Therefore, if I'm going to be "early to rise" I must also be "early to bed".... Well, I TRY to...doesn't always work that way.... It's so true it's not always that easy to teach an old dog new tricks.... I'm trying!!

We need sleep. Good quality sleep is, the experts say, the single most important factor in good health. More important that diet. More important than exercise. I've learned this recently that lack of sleep brings on a myriad of physical problems...heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure.. We get clumsier and problems are harder to solve. We forget stuff when we are sleep deprived. No wonder!!! It all makes sense now! I swear, sometimes I feel like I don't even know what planet I'm on!! :) So....I'm going to sleep more! Thank God that you allow me to do so my perfect little man!!

Speaking of which, it's sleepy time for me...You've only been asleep for an hour and a half, and it is only 8:30, but I am exhausted so I am heading to bed, to do a little reading or a few Sudoku's and off to Tiffany land I go.... Mommy needs to catch up on her REM sleep!!! So sleep well my little love, I love you more than anything, and I'm so sorry I've been singing the Good Morning Song to you....

Love, Mommy