Parenting stories from the middle of the night

A few weeks back in the middle of the night I heard her. Our 6-year-old daughter was standing next to my bed.

"Mom...?"

I lay there silently WILLING myself not to move or give any indication I can hear her. Not because I'm a terrible, heartless mom but because my husband is laying next to me reading his Kindle and I can NOT believe she is standing next to me. {Fact: 99% of the time when any of our kids get up at night they come to me. WHY!?!}

"Mom....?" She says it again and then before I open my eyes I hear the soft pitter patter of her feet walk to my husband's side of the bed. I drift off to sleep not quite sure what she needed or wanted but happy for a good night's rest.

What feels like five minutes later on this same night, I hear our youngest fussing in her crib. I can't tell if she's awake yet or just fussing in her sleep but again, I lay there so quiet hoping that my husband will get up.

Moments later, he says, "What do you want to do?"

This is code for: "Wake up. The baby is crying."

Still yet, once more I hear a pitter patter of feet approaching our bed. And then I hear a cough. The kind of cough that comes just before vomit and sure enough thanks to my stealth fake sleeping earlier our 6 year old has thrown up all over my husband and the carpet on his side of the bed. I wonder how much longer I can get away with my quiet, laying still until he pokes me and says, "I'm gonna need your help here."

Without saying a word we get the job done, clean and change bedding, shampoo the carpet, calm down and clean our daughter before we fall into bed just after 1 a.m. even more tired and dreading the sound of alarm clocks in just a short while.

This whole thing is not the picture you have in mind when you walk down the aisle, am I right?

But oh we wouldn't trade it for the world.

We'll celebrate 11 years this Friday and I'm more sure than ever he's the one for me. Because really and truly, there's no one else I'd rather do all this with in the middle of the night than him.