Milestones

Some days you wake up and pretty much have an idea of how the whole day will turn out based on the first 60 seconds that you experience. Commonly referred to as waking up on the wrong side of the bed - I call it waking up to a child hell bent on doing the exact opposite that you ask them to do.
I will admit that I am lucky - luckier than most parents with preschoolers. My kids are sleepy in the mornings, and tend to need more sleep than the average toddler - I am convinced that during this sleep time they are dreaming up new ways to mess up the room, devising new schemes to cause maximum yelling and hairpulling by yours truly, and storing up sleep like it was candy in order to have enough energy to maintain the evening 'get out of bed 50 times' routine.
In any case, Duncan tiptoed into my room at 8am asking me to take down Matthew's gate.
I assumed Matthew wanted out - we put a gate up in his room to keep him safe at night since he is prone to wander, although most nights he falls asleep on the floor and doesn't move until daylight or one of his brothers jumps on him. As I took the gate down, I realized that Matthew was sleeping right in front of his door. I told Duncan not to wake his brother up.
Duncan continued down the hall towards Matthew's room.
I blocked his way and told him "DO NOT wake Matthew up"
Since his course was not being altered in any way I blocked his way down the hall and threatened him with the worst punishment known to him; "If you wake Matthew up, I will take your movies away". This stopped him, and he changed course to his home base (his room) while I went back to my room to gain a few more minutes of precious rest. Only 2 minutes later I heard the dryer door slamming repeatedly. The laundry room is next to Matthew's room, and Duncan in his 4 yr old leap of logic thinking seemed to think that slamming a door 4 ft away from someone is enough to wake them, but not enough to be accused of waking them.
Duncan was wrong. I took away his movies, and he was none to impressed.
"But I need them" he told me.
"Well you'll have to earn them back with good behaviour " I replied as I took his favourites and put them out of a reach on a shelf that was unattainable to him - even by climbing on a chair.

By this time, young Joseph was stirring. I love getting him up in the mornings - There's nothing quite like the look of joy on a baby's face when they know you are about to do something wonderful - like break them out of that wooden prison!
Joey was standing up in his crib. I wish I could capture that emotion in a bottle - the anticipation of a new day, the optimism that there is something wonderful and exciting just around the corner, and the sheer delight at being picked up and carried downstairs to be tickled and fed and changed and all those wonderful things that go along with being 1 yr old and having no worries or responsibilities other than looking cute and babbling a few words here and there.

Matthew amazingly stayed asleep, so I had just 2 boys downstairs - 1 happy and 1 in a funk because he couldn't watch Dora and thought that being good and obedient for 30 seconds was enough to warrant the return of all his movies. He hasn't quite grasped the concept of "earn" or "Good behaviour" either so it seems. Matthew got up on his own at 9:00am and I spent the next 2 hours playing referee between the older boys who managed to fight kick slap and bite their way into time outs and lots of yelling by me.
Joey my angel picked today when I was at my grumpiest, annoyed with the older boys and wondering just why we thought kids were a blessing when they appeared to be more of a test of patience than anything else, but today was the day.
I was sitting on the couch, laptop on my - er lap (where else would it go) Annoyed that I had to keep restarting it because the mouse kept freezing up (indeed, i started this blog 3 times before I finishied it) . Growing increasingly frustrated and only moments away from pitching this load of crap against the wall and smashing it to smithereens, Joey reminded me that life is about the little moments.

He stood up, holding unto the end table and then walked - his first ever independent steps. about 6 or 7 of them. Not only did he wobble half way across the room, but he did it in exhuberant fashion, arms up in the air - sheer delight on his face at his ability to move while remaining vertical. He laughed and bubbled and giggled and shouted his way in the silliest manner possible - 6 steps of heaven. 6 steps where the whole world stopped and his complete focus and attention was on this miracle of independent movement. 6 steps where I wished I'd had a video camera to capture it, because he'll never have that joy of accomplishing his first 6 steps ever again. And I'll never have the opportunity to witness it again.
At that moment all the frustration and irritation of my morning melted into oblivion, replaced with the miracle of watching my youngest son reach this milestone. It was a pivotal moment.
Kids ARE a blessing. they remind us, even in the simplicity of life that each step is a milestone. Each step is a miracle. Each step advances us foreward, and changes us inexplicable, little by little, molding us into the people we are.

The older boys are still fighting.
The house is still messy.
The laundry remains a big dirty pile of work I am wishing will be done by the laundry fairy
Nothing in my world has changed.
But for him, for Joey, Everything has changed. The possibilities of his world have only begun to open up.
So much for him to see, to do, and yes mischief to get into. I welcome it.
I just hope I remember this moment when it does.