Whats worse than crying?

Well, I’ll tell you.  Picture the scene.  It’s 3 am.  You just finally got to sleep 2 hours ago, and you are awoken by your crying baby.  Your lovely wife kicks you in the shin, growls, “Your Turn!”, her eyes shining yellow in the moonlight, and falls back to a heavy sleep.  A diaper change, bottle of milk, a room clearing belch, and another diaper change later, and your lovely son is finally back asleep, head heavy across your shoulder, a final burp echoing in your ear.

Now comes the time for stealth, as you slowly slide him down your arm, into position, and lower him, gently, GENTLY, to the  crib mattress.  Like a crate marked TNT in an old western, you know that any wrong move could be your last.  Resting him now on the mattress, moving a blanket slowly over him, he startles suddenly, hands and feet flailing for a moment.  His face gets “THE LOOK”, his eyes bunched together, his mouth tight and wrigley.  You know he is about to unleash a scream of blood curdling horror, when… he does something worse.  His eyes fly open, and look straight at you, and his beaming face splits wide, and he smiles at you.

THAT smile.  The one that says, “Silly daddy!  Did you think you were getting sleep tonight?  Its time to PLAY!”  And the giggles and coos begin, sounds more horrible than any squishing subterranean horror ever uttered, as you pick him up and head back out, gazing longingly at your pillow, growing cold in the fading distance, and the snoring  body of your wonderful spouse, knowing that sleep will be hours away….

(Note for clarity, yes, his crib is in our room.  Don’t want to hear it, we don’t have much choice. )