The third pillow

Three standard pillows fit across our bed when we sleep. Usually the middle pillow is taken by a younger member of the family.

Sometimes it is Avery. Who sneaks in quietly, stares at my face from the side of the bed and whispers "mommy!" When I finally wake, she tells me she had a bad dream and wants to get in bed with us. Sometimes I take her back to her bed, but other times I am too lazy and she climbs in. She then kicks and flails all night.

Sometimes it is Charlie. Who runs from his room, bursts through our door and yells "mommy!" loudly. I am usually woken by his footsteps and already sitting up in bed by the time he gets to the bed. He tells me he had a bad dream and wants to get in bed with us. Sometimes I take him back to bed, but other times I am too lazy and he climbs in. He then spends the night making slurping sounds while sucking his thumb.

And sometimes it is Jackson. Who doesn't yet get out of his crib on his own, but definitely lets us know he is awake and needs attention. "Mama" and "Dada" can be heard through the wall along with kicks from his feet. Or just all out screaming. Sometimes we soothe him and put him back in his crib, but sometimes we are just too lazy and put him in bed with us. Sometimes he goes back to sleep quickly and other times he talks to us until he is tired.

The third pillow gets a lot of use. And while we are very tired after nights of little intruders, I wouldn't trade that snuggle time for anything. They aren't going to do this much longer and I am glad they have a safe haven that helps keep the boogey men away.