Weird Dreams; Cats Read Calendars

For the second night in a row, the Boy was awake at 3:30am. On the first night, he was in Mamma's bed and Mamma was trying to get him to go back to his own bed. Last night he was up coughing and going to the bathroom like he was going to throw up. My alarm clock is set to go off at 5:50 am, so I know for the second day in a row that I'm in for a tough morning. I throw of the covers and go to the Boy. He is lying on the floor. I pick him up and he hugs me tight as I take him back to his bed, laying his head down on my shoulder. I can feel how cold his cheek is from having it pressed to the stone tile floor. We go back to his room. I'm carefull to step around all the toys on the floor. I tuck him in, give him a kiss, tell him I love him and go back to my own bed. I'm almost asleep when he goes back into the bathroom. More coughing. He doesn't throw up either time, but he's not feeling well. I hunker down next to him and rub his back. When he's finished I give in and ask if he wants to come and lie down with me for a while (knowing it will be for the night) and he gratefully accepts.

Eventually, sleep comes. Dreams mix with reality.

One of the cats, Ginger, jumps on the bed and starts to prowl around. In my dream, we're in the other bed and the Boy is on the other side of me, sitting up laughing like he's being tickled as the cat plays with his squirming feet under the blanket. In the dream I reach for the cat and throw her off the bed. I have a memory of reaching out and sweeping the cat off the bed. It might have been real or a different part of another dream, I'm not sure.

The alarm clock goes off. I'm in the bed with the Boy who's back on his own side. I reach for the alarm and hit the snooze button, figuring it's been a long night; I'll rest here a bit more.

The alarm goes off again. I reach and hit the snooze button, figuring it hasn't seemed like a long time since it went off the first time, wondering just how many minutes the snooze button gives me anyway.

I look at the clock. It says it's 5:50 am.

It takes me a moment to realize that the first time the clock went off, it was a dream.

I lie there as Ginger prowls a circle around the circumference of the bed. She steps on the Boy's neck and he says, "Ow."

Me: Did she scratch you?

Boy: No. She just put her claw on my neck. It didn't hurt though. But do you know what the best part was?

Me: No. What?

Boy: When she gave me licks because it's Valentine's Day.