our toddler is not a morning person

Perhaps it's the darker mornings. Or maybe he wakes up in the middle of the night and parties without us knowing. Who really knows? One thing is certain though -- Z-Dub isn't a morning person.

I always thought it was normal that toddlers wake up smiling at the butt crack of dawn, demanding food and cartoons from groggy parents. Z-Dub is different. He's like a teenager who likes to sleep in. He'd be happy to wake up at 9 a.m. or later.

Let me share with you this morning's wake up call. It was much the same as the previous few mornings.

It's 6:45 a..m. and I open the door to Z-Dubs dark room. The sound of the fan and his snores fill the air. I pull back the dark blue curtains and open the blinds, letting in the morning light.

I call out, "Z-Dub, it's time to get up."

A couple of seconds later I say, "Come on buddy, we have to get ready to see your friends at school."

A minute passes as I pull a pair of shorts, pull-up, t-shirt and socks from his dresser.

"Z-Dub, wake up," I call out, again.

I go over and sit on the edge of his bed. I touch his shoulder and repeat my plea for him to wake up. He rolls from his side to his back and stretches. After he rolls back over to his side without ever opening his eyes.

"Come on buddy. We have to get ready for school. You want to eat," I ask.

He ignores me.

While he still sleeps I proceed to change him from his pajamas into his school clothes. I get to the shirt and he lets out a yell, "Daddy nooooo. I not awake."

I continue changing his shirt. "Nooooooo Daddddyyyyy. I sleeping. Go away," he says.

I ignore it and continue. Once I'm done he lays back down on his side in an attempt to go back to sleep. I walk away to discard his soiled diaper and he flips out.

"Noooo Daddy. I want you," he says.

I pick him up and we head down stairs for breakfast.

"Do you want some yogurt," I ask.

He doesn't reply. As I sit him down to watch his morning cartoons, he has a fit. Later he calms down and I inquire again, "You want some yogurt?"

"No Daddy. We go to SeaWorld," he replies with tears in his eyes.

Apparently I've interrupted a dream of whales, fish and dolphins too. It made for a grumpy morning.


On a side note, I think we may have to make a trip to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay this weekend and just tell him it's SeaWorld.