Picking and Choosing

Wouldn’t it be great if you could pick and choose the best physical and personality traits between you and your husband to go to your baby? We already know I’d pick Greg’s hair and my feet, and today, I have one more thing to add to the list: my ability to sleep on the eve of an exciting event. This needs more elaboration.

Today, Greg left for a lengthy hunting excursion, and faced a 17 hour drive. He intended to get a few hours of sleep, wake at 4am, get ready, load the dogs, and go. But instead of 4am, the anticipation of the companionship of his friends at camp in WI, the thrill of blasting wild birds behind man’s best friend, and the call of the wild pre-empted sleep. So, after tossing and turning for 2 hours while I slept soundly, Greg called it a night, got up at 1am, and was gone by 1:45. This is pretty typical behavior for my dear husband who regularly sacrifices sleep for stress or general excitement. I just don’t have this problem. I was never the first one up on Christmas Day, and never entertained the idea of pulling an all-nighter. Sleep is just too important to me. So, in the midst of one of Greg’s “episodes” I usually just sigh at him, shake my head at him and go on to sleep. This was before I realized that our daughter could easily inherit this side of his personality.

I couldn’t fall back asleep after Greg’s departure in the wee hours of the morning as I kept having flashes of Panda, ready and dressed for her first day of school, lunch sack in hand, at 1:30 in the morning. Mommy, is the school bus coming soon? No dear, not for 6 more hours….

I guess Greg’s carni feet don’t seem all that undesirable anymore!