Daelyn wakes up talking

Don returned last night from a four-day business trip. It wouldn't have been so bad except that he was just out of town last week for 3 days at the funeral of his grandmother. I didn't miss him near as much as I thought I would this trip - I was just plain too busy. Where it did hit me, though, was the nightime. I didn't sleep at all while he was gone.

I'm not quite as eloquent as my friend, Jan, whose husband was on a business trip this week, also. She has had a tough week, which seems to be typical of her husband's business trips. Jan experiences physical attacks (flooded basement, freezer breaking, sickness) while her husband is gone. I seem to experience spiritual attacks. Mine all seem to be relationship-oriented - fights with the children, seemingly unsurmoutable problems in assignments I've been given, etc.

But Don is home now, and the world seems brighter, somehow sunnier, with his presence. When he returned from Colorado, he brought presents for all the children - thank goodness for gift shops in airports. This time he prepared the children and told them not to expect presents. He told them that he would be working and there would not be anyplace for him to buy presents for them. Last night, they knew he was due home any minute, so everyone was listening attentively, while doing their nightime chores, for the sound of the door opening. When he arrived, he was greeted with much screaming and hugging, then he began unloading. In came, despite what he had told the children, GIFTS. Deanna got a heart necklace that lights up bright blue and a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur puzzle. Daelyn got a little airplane that shoots off a spring with a trigger and a Mega Blocks car. Dane got a net for a soccer ball that's on a long cord and attached to a holster that wraps around his waist. That way, the ball never gets away from you and you can learn to control the ball while running. He thanked his daddy profusely and then commented that he didn't have a soccer ball. Don asked me about it and I told him that Deanna owned the only soccer ball in the family. I asked Deanna to run and get her soccer ball so Dane could try out his net. Don disappeared and reappeared with a brand new yellow soccer ball for Dane.

It took a while to get the kids settled down to bed. They were all pretty excited. Daelyn was the hardest, talking his daddy's ear off. Don even heard about the new drinks I bought for the kids' lunchboxes. Don and I finally hit the bed at about 10:00.

At 5:12 a.m., Deanna appeared at the side of my bed, fully dressed and fussing at me because I was late. "Late?" I asked. "Late for what?"

"School," she responded. "You didn't get me up on time."

"Deanna, it's 5:12 in the morning. My alarm doesn't even go off for over another hour, and I don't get you up until 7:00. GO BACK TO BED!"

"Oh," she commented softly. "I guess I misread my clock."

About the time I got to sleep again, I was awakened by Daelyn's high-pitched, squeeky voice talking, yet again, to Don. Talk, talk, talk, talk, front door opening and shutting, silence. Footsteps coming down the hallway and - pounce - Daelyn climbs up on top of me.

Finally accepting that there was no hope of further sleep, despite the fact that this was the first good night's sleep I've had in several, I rolled to my back and smiled at Daelyn.

"So, you were talking to Daddy again this morning, huh?" I asked him. He responded affirmatively. "What were you talking about?"

"I had lots of important sings to discuss with him," he said, quite matter-of-fact and adult-sounding.

I grinned. I could just imagine what "important sings" he had to talk with Daddy about.

"I had to tell him all about the Hedawinds house. They almost have the roof done and they're putting bwick up. It's weally coming along."

The Hedawinds, Hedlunds to the rest of us, are the family that Don lived with before we married. They used to live in a neighboring town across the river but have sold their home and are building just down the road from us. We walk by their house on the way to school each day. The contractor is working on the exterior brick and the house really is coming along. It's exciting to see. We've been watching since the lot was cleared and there's been much accomplished since then. Obviously, Daelyn's been watching as well.

Most of us require some time to wake up in the morning. Not Daelyn. He wakes up talking and he had important things to discuss with Daddy. Deanna was confused about the time, and Mommy, yet again, didn't get much sleep. Don just called a few minutes ago and laughingly greeted me with, "Good morning, for the third or fourth time." It's good to have him home. Maybe tonight we'll get back to normal, but I'm not counting on it.