A perfect start to the day?

How is it that my best and worst moments of the day can be the same moment?

While we're on holiday, and don't have to wake up early (by early, I mean before 7am...), we've fallen into a new morning routine. Around 7am Nellie wakes up, stumbles through to our room, and crawls into bed with me (on my side, note - I give up half my space for her so G doesn't have to get all uncomfortable) and we snuggle for a while. I love it.

Then, a few minutes later Nathan usually wakes up so Graeme collect him and brings him back to bed. Nathan has that sleepy baby look and smell about him (and I'm not talking about the smell of wet nappies here...) with his hair all disheveled and a cute grin that says "sorry for keeping you up all night, Mum, but I really, really, really do love you!"

Sometimes G deserts us in a grumpy mood because his back is killing him (I'm beginning to suspect some sort of kidney infection), but the best mornings are where we then all snuggle together - all 4 of us. We giggle and tickle and chat and cuddle. It's by far the BEST way to start the day I think (apart from breakfast in bed at 9am that involves lots of chocolate and tea and good books...).

It's also the worst way to start the day, because once Nathan joins us, Nellie won't lie still - she's a wriggle worm of note. Of course, that means that my full bladder usually gets at least one foot or elbow in it, some of my hair gets pulled out by the roots, and Nellie and Nate fight over her Leo (because Nate's is still in his cot and he thinks hers belongs to him...) with the result that she often starts whining and crying and gets all sulky.

When it goes wrong, it puts me in a foul mood and is the worst possible way to start the day (other than, oh I don't know - having gunmen enter your house and kill you?). When it goes right, it's awesome, like this morning. After a quick loo trip, I returned to bed to find Nellie and Nate cuddling - Nate lying on top of Nellie with her arms around him patting his back. Best of all - he wasn't trying to escape (which is his usual trick). He was genuinely loving it! Aaaaah! Made my heart go all gooey.

(Of course, Nellie spoilt what would have been the perfect start to the day by refusing to co-operate while getting dressed and making a scene about the fact that G was going to take her to nursery and not me. Sigh.)

I think back to the days BK (before kids) when I didn't want any because I was feeling too selfish about my time and could only see the negatives of having kids (nappies, sleepless nights, vomit in your hands, endless arguments, constant worry over their safety, etc, etc, etc) and moments like this make me realise afresh that this is, by far, the better choice! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.