Welcome, Oliver

It's Oliver's turn to grace the top of this here blog. Thanks for sharing the photo with us, Ashley!

P.S. I'm putting all of the headers in a set on flickr.

When Violently Happy Puppies Cause A Good Thing

It takes time to learn the language of a new home. It's words eventually become expected, it's groans and moans a part of the soundtrack of your life. You learn to ignore the sounds that should be ignored and to pay special attention to the things that are unusual.

The sound of a certain 6-year old whispering in the dark at ten past midnight is definitely unusual.

I don't known how I heard it over the din of the refrigerator and the hum of the aquarium, but I did. Tiny little whispers floated down the stairs and across the house. I followed their cadence all the way up to Alexis' room and made a discovery.

Nearly four hours after she had been put to bed, Alexis was wide awake.

She was up in her loft, wrapped like a burrito in her blankets. On one side was a stack of books as tall as cat and on the other side was ... a cat. Max, to be specific. Alexis was working her way through her entire library of Mo Willems books while Max quietly snored. It's hard work for a cat to climb a ladder, so I'm sure his nap was needed.

Alexis glanced up as I approached and quickly tried to explain why she was awake at such an unreasonable hour. "Max wanted me to read to him," she explained.

"Max is sleeping," I pointed out.

"Well, he fell asleep because I read him a bedtime story," she retorted.

"You. Sleep. Now." I'm not one for a lot of words when I think I should be off duty from the whole parenting thing.

I returned ten minutes later and found that the short person had obeyed. Thank goodness.

Max was still snoring.

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There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Max was known for visiting Alexis in her loft, but he certainly wasn't there to stay. He's my cat through and through, so he escorts me to bed every night and then does what he can to stay in constant contact.

Or at least he used to.

A certain animal who looks a lot like a Wookie has thrown Max's world upside-down. I'm not naming names, but that Wookie-like creature bursts into something that looks like it belongs in a LMFAO video anytime she sees a cat. Her butt is all wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-YEAH and her face is all P-A-R-T-Y!!!! at the very thought of a feline being near. She can't stop herself from busting into violent joy and the cats find it all to be very annoying. Especially at night.

Max has ditched me. He has found peace and love amidst the Pillow Pets and stuffed bears and Monster High Dolls that litter Alexis' loft. There are no violently happy puppies up there.

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Sometimes it's the sounds that you don't hear that startle you. At 7:00 am on a Sunday morning I fully expect to hear the sounds of the Disney Channel wafting through the house. I expect to hear the tiny voice of a 6-year old cheerfully talking to herself as she enjoys a few minutes of unsupervised play. Alexis is allowed to go into the family room and turn on the TV until an adult joins her. It's one of the joys that come with your sleep-resistant kid growing older--you get to train them to entertain themselves so you can sleep in a little bit.

But at 7:00 am on a Sunday morning, all was quiet. Had the Easter Bunny read my post and popped in for another visit? COULD IT BE?

I made it all the way until 7:30 before my curiosity got the best of me. I tip-toed down the hall and quietly pushed the door open an inch.

Alexis was wide awake. And still in her loft.

!!!!!!!!!

I didn't know that was possible. The child has always felt the need to catapult out of her bed the instant her eyes open.

Also in her bed was Max.

"Max is sleeping so I can't get down until he wakes up," Alexis whispered to me.

The exact same thing has happened four times in two weeks. Four times in two weeks Alexis has sat up in her loft quietly waiting for Max to wake up before she bursts into the world for the day.

He might be helping her stay up entirely too late, but Max is my hero for teaching the kid how to stay in her bed.

Zoey! Zoey! Zoey!

The latest cutie up in my header is Zoey. She spreads her adorableness over at Laughing Through Motherhood.