So, after a disturbed evening, I wake to the sound of Reindeer getting agitated.
I check the monitor and immediately spot three things:
1. He’s standing up and therefore not asleep
2. It’s 0430 and he should be asleep
3. It’s 0430 and I should be asleep
I trundle through to his room with as much grace and good humour as I can muster at stupid o’clock, which is more than I would have credited myself with when I wasn’t a parent.
The first course of action was to offer a feed. He was happy with this and, to my great surprise, fell asleep again afterwards. To my utter lack of surprise he woke again as soon as I lay him back in the cot.
His eyes opened, he looked straight at me, and he began clapping.
Clapping.
For days I’ve been working on clapping with him and no dice. Sunday at 0500? Perfect clapping, hands open and everything.
It is both a ‘yay!’ moment and an ‘it’s waaaaay to early for this’ moment.
Parenting. They have you over a barrel and they know it.
