Awakenings

This morning at 5:30 a.m. I heard whining. I rolled over and put my pillow over my head, hoping the whines would subside. Instead, the whines escalated to cries, the cries then progressed to barks. Our fifteen week old Australian Shepherd, Bella, was awake and in need of attention.

I nudged Matt. He continued snoring and rolled over, pulling off all of my covers as he went. I hastily threw on my slippers and tip-toed downstairs, hoping Caitlin would not wake up. Bella woke the whole family at 5:15 the day before, which as you can imagine, made for a long day.

Once downstairs, I removed the baby gate from the kitchen doorway, gave Bella a good morning scratch, and brought her outside to use the facilities. At 5:30 a.m. the birds are noisy, the streets are quiet. Bella played in the yard, while I yawned and tried not to get my slippers wet on the grass. I watched Bella eat sticks and hoped her barks did not wake the baby.

After about fifteen minutes, I brought Bella inside and fed her breakfast. All remained quiet throughout the house and I foolishly hoped I could lie down to catch a few extra minutes of sleep. While Bella ate, I left the kitchen and lied on the couch. Within two minutes, Bella jumped onto the couch where she proceeded to nip my hands, arms, feet, and ankles. "Down," I said in my assertive, yet calm dog-training voice. Repeat this scene for the next fifteen to twenty minutes. Finally, my limbs and my patience could take no more. By now, it was 6:05 a.m., which I considered a perfectly reasonable time to wake Matt from his slumber.

As Bella nipped my toe for the sixty-seventh time, I lost my temper, called her a not-so-nice name, and tip-toed back upstairs looking for help. As I quietly entered the bedroom, Matt rolled over and without opening his eyes mumbled, "Did you just get up?" From downstairs, Bella began barking and I asked (a.k.a. told) Matt to take her for a morning walk.

Within a few minutes, Matt and Bella left the house and I laid under the covers, again hoping to sleep just a little while longer. Just as I closed my eyes, I heard the baby awake in the next room. And here we go again.