#30 3:00 AM

"Brian! Brian!" The voice of Tess pulls me out of my normal deep sleep. My eyes spring open and glance around our bedroom, dimly illuminated by a nightlight. As I try to piece together what's happening, I hear Lanie crying. "Can you change her diaper? I need to run to the bathroom before I feed her." Slowly my brain figures out what Tess is asking. I mumble something positive and grab my glasses so that I can see what I'm doing. The cold sensation of leaving my covers behind wakes me up just a little more as I pick up my squirming daughter in her bundle of blankets. "Hi, Lanie," I coo, staggering toward the changing pad. I flick the lightswich on and blink in the brilliant light. Lanie's fussing grows louder and louder. I peel back her sleeper, grab a new diaper and a baby wipe, and open her old diaper to survey the damage. As Lanie wails at me, I try to reassure her that everything's okay while wiping her off as quickly and effectively as I can manage in my sleepy stupor. After securing the new diaper, I trash the old one and wash my hands. By the time I'm finished, Tess has appeared to rezip Lanie's sleeper and carry her off for feeding time. I stumble back to the bedroom, nearly asleep by the time I pull the covers back up. As I drift back to dreamland, I have only one thought: I love my sweet babes.

Grace and peace,

BMH