Late Night Pleadings

I love this girl!  She's also challenge to me.  My current goal is not to love her in spite of her challenges, but to love her FOR the challenge.  I know that our trials help us to grow, learn, and become better people if we'll let them.  I hope that little by little I'm becoming a better mother to her.

She's been doing much better at night, and I am so proud of her.  She was sick a couple of days ago and her fever kept her up at night again.  At one point around 3am, she ran into my room shouting, "Mommy, mommy!  You forgot to put the bookmark in our book last night!  I really need you to do it right now so we don't lose our place!!!"  I assured her that I would not get out of bed to replace the bookmark and promised that I remembered the exact page we left off at.  There were some tears, but she eventually went back to bed.  This reminded me of all the crazy things she used to come into my room in the night to say, or yell.  I want to record them so hopefully someday she can laugh with me about her middle-of-the-night-shenanigans.  

• "I found this string in my bed and I need to give it to you"
• "Am I sleeping well so I can have a candy in the morning?"
• "I think I'm all done sleeping tonight"
• "Can you walk me back to my room?  It's too dark for me to see." (How did you get here then?)
• "I need to go potty.  Can I use your bathroom?" (Instead of the one that RIGHT next to her room)
• "I need to put some socks on"
• "Can you take the rubber band out of my hair?"
• "I need you to find my watch.  I need to know what time it is all night long". and then...
• "Please take my watch off because I need to go potty RIGHT NOW and I can't get my footed pajamas off". (the watch was around her pajama sleeve)
• "What are we going to do tomorrow?  And the day after that?  And the day after that?"
• "I can't find Ruby.  Can you come find her for me?" (Her pillow pet)
• "Can you put an ice cube in my sippy cup?"
• "I really need to wear different pajamas".
• "Mommy, I just wanted to tell you that I really, really love you".

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, and sometimes I didn't actually hear the reason she was in my room.  Occasionally I've woken up to find her in our bed with no idea why or when she got there.  She's a child who feels speaking her mind is the most important thing in the world - no matter the time or place.  I'm sure this desire can be a strength in her life if we can teach her to use it appropriately.  Needing to speak your mind at 3am in your parents' room when mom has already been up twice with the baby - not so appropriate.  

*Wow - love the updated post editor.  I'm going to try bigger images - no promise that the photo quality will be any better.  My picture taking skills are pretty awful.