Wakeful Slumber

According to Sleepdex.org Stage 1 of sleep is defined as 


"light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In this stage, the eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. During this stage, many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling."


It is in this stage of sleep where some of my favorite moments of the day occur. For instance, this morning Owen came into my room and crawled into bed with me. I drifted in and out of sleep but still had a difficult time opening my eyes; I was trying to squeeze out whatever was left of the night. It had to be after 6 am by this time and I heard Owen cough a few times. That must have awakened Mason because next Owen climbed off of my bed and I heard Mason say in an excitedly hushed voice "Owen, you sleeping with me?!"Owen must have nodded in his cute way because the next thing I heard was "Oh, we got go get your blankets." That was followed by two pairs of feet running down the hall and some giggles--hushed of course. I thought "Wow, they are really sweet with each other in the morning". It was a sweet glimpse into their brotherhood that I hope blossoms into a lifelong bond and friendship. 


There are also times when Darrell is home and I hear him getting ready in this wakeful slumber state. He isn't very quiet in the morning; not out of lack on consideration but because he doesn't realize that not everyone can sleep through artillery and crying babies, this makes it difficult for me to get back into my deep sleep. However; I relish these mornings. I love knowing where he is and what he is doing without seeing it. My favorite part comes when he gives me a kiss; his lips are always cold against mine because he's just brushed his teeth and I smell a "hint of mint" too. Sometimes I pretend I'm still in my deep sleep, but more often than not, the only thing remaining of my sleep at this point is my closed eyes. 


Of course there are other times when these moments are not tender, not sweet, and are downright annoying. For today, let's juts focus on the sweet moments before our days really begin.