Incapable

For one  reason or another I have never been able to sleep past 4 am on Christmas. As a child I believe the reason was self evident. As an adult the reason varies but really the result is the same. So here I am once again blogging at almost 5 am, only this time there area few more excuses than when I was up at this hour as a kid. 

I think that I was probably the worse one of my parents children when it came to Christmas morning. I don't think I was ever capable of sleeping past about 4 am as a kid, no not once, and when I say kid I do mean I was still having this problem at the age of 18. To my credit I wasn't always the instigator of the trouble I was just usually the first one awake. I don't remember my Dad ever being in a good mood on Christmas morning because we always woke him up so early that really how could he be. My mother would set traps, she would sleep on the couch in front of the tree, or she would put things on the stairs that made noise. One year all she did was put a black garbage bad of wrapping paper by the stairs and it just looked so suspicious that we didn't dare pass it. That only worked once! I distinctly remember the year that my Grandparents spent the night with us sleeping in the hide-a-bed in the living room. Their bed separated us from the tree and so my sister and I tried to crawl underneath it to get to the toys at 4 am. Lets just say that didn't end well. It was the only time in my life I had ever heard my Grandpa use that tone of voice, it scared us to death! 

As an adult I like to think that it is just that I have so much on my mind that I can't sleep. Really I am just excited. I would like to say it is that I am excited for my kids. The problem is, how do I explain the 5 years of our marriage before we had kids? I guess I will just have to admit that I am just excited for myself. After all there are all kinds of presents under the tree for me too! Having children does help however because it gives me a convenient excuse to be up at this time of night. We are getting up at this time regularly anyway. (If you want to know why just look at the entry marked "Why can't I sleep?") Tonight, however I have even more excuses. Bug will NOT sleep tonight!!! S said that he was up with her countless times while I was sleeping, and she was still awake when we went to bed at 11:30. The other and more legitimate excuse is that Lou is sick... again! She is running a fever and that makes me unable to sleep due to worry. It is bad enough that we are contemplating leaving her in bed while the rest of us open presents. I do believe that she has been sick for every Christmas of her entire life. The poor kid! So while I do have excuses that doesn't explain why I am up right now, accept to say that... well... its Christmas.