cereal offender

There are few times, I think, that more effectively illustrate Jacob's and my differences than mornings - ok, maybe desserts, but we can talk about that later.


For the most part (daylight-savings Mondays excepted), I really enjoy the morning. I like to see the sun coming up over the trees in the back yard and watch the neighborhood waking up. I like to watch a little news, check my email, get a few things done. I have my hot cafe au lait and that's all the breakfast I need. I'm ready to go, world. Look out. Pre-marriage, in fact, I used to be up and at 'em at about 5 a.m., walking the dog and doing laundry, then I'd hit the office by 7:30 or so.


Jacob, on the other hand, wakes up a little later than I, rumply and groggy and wanting nothing more in this world than a just a few moments to be rumply and eat his breakfast. Unlike me, Jacob likes his cereal first thing, with cold milk and nearly-cold coffee (ok, not nearly-cold, but barely-warm anyway). This is not his time to chat or embrace the day or do anything other than wake up. You see, this time is not actually real-life time for Jacob, this is more like transition time. Transition to the world. It can be deceiving because it looks like actually-awake time, but it isn't. It. Is. Not.


It took me a little while to learn this, folks, and it made for some not-so pretty mornings. Mornings where my, um, enthusiasm for the morning (and life! and plans! and let's talk about everything right now! what did you dream about last night? did you sleep well?) left him a little overwhelmed as he tried to just wake up. Usually this did not end up starting the day well - for either of us.


Thankfully, we've both gotten better about how we handle the mornings...and a few other things in the three-and-a-half years we've been married. Growth!


It's the little things, right?