It was somewhere around 3:00 in the morning. I was dreaming about a scraggly cat who had wandered into my garage. For whatever reason, I was folding laundry and he kept insisting that my laundry basket was his new favorite bed. In this dream, I had a baby and had to wash clothes, and had to do it RIGHT.THIS.SECOND, for reasons that were not made clear to me during my slumber. Right about that time, I felt a pat on my back and looked down to see you trying to get my attention. You were hungry, and you wanted food NOW. And I had to make it because Lord only knows, Dad does not know how to heat up a can of Chef Boyardee. Go figure. I couldn't leave the laundry because the cat had just deposited four pounds of hair on all of the clean baby clothes and I needed to wash them again, right this minute. You were whining and the cat wouldn't budge, and I was pulling out my hair because I had to get to work.

[sidenote: I do not own a cat. I do not have a new baby, nor am I pregnant. I definitely do not do laundry or feed my child Chef Boyardee at 3:00 in the morning. Yes, my dreams are weird and I have no desire to analyze them, but if you do, please feel free to leave your thoughts here. Oh, and one more thing. While I do go to work at o-dark thirty, I do not go in THAT early. /sidenote]

Somewhere in there I woke up realizing that I was flat on my stomache, in my own bed, and that you were not wanting Chef Boyardee, but you were crying.

Apparently, you had a bad dream, and by the look on your face, it was a doozie. I rolled over on my back and you climbed into bed with me, laying your head on my shoulder and draping your leg across me. With one thumb in your mouth, you used your other hand to gently rub circles around my stomach. This is something that you have done since you were young. When you were a baby (on the day you were born!) you would suck your thumb, and rub your ear or anyone else's for that matter. You still do that today. You have this strong need to touch or to rub and your father and I believe this offers you some form of reassurance and gives you a sense of safety.

We whispered softly to each other, careful not to wake up your dad , and you asked me to tell you a another story about your childhood. I found myself smiling as the memories passed through my head. There are so many I find it hard to choose just one. As I stroked your hair I told you about the day you were born, and how, at two, you learned how to scoot the kitchen chair over to the counter, so that you could climb up on it, and then on the counter, and reach the cookies that I had placed on top of the refridgerator.

Soon, your breathing evened and you were deep in slumber, arm and leg still laying over me, body snuggled close. I continued to lay there, staring into the night and smiling. Enjoying my memories.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!