The Light Sleeper

Hello, my friends. It's 9:30 on a Wednesday night. 4 hours of piano lessons behind me. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks served and cleaned up. Kids entertained, redirected, educated. Just another normal day in the Mommy hood.

Are you ready for a story? Sure you are! A little bit of background first, yes? Last summer, our family went south to Oregon to celebrate my grandfather's birthday. We spent the night with one of Lo Gung's college roommates before heading home the next day. The son in that home had a simply ginormous collection of Skylander figurines and was happy to show the game to Lo Gung and Siu Jeun, and explain the basic rules. (Skylander is a video game with matching figurines. The figurines plug into a small console, which then allows those characters to join the game on the screen. With me so far? Each character carries its own strengths and is good at different sort of battles and match ups.) Lo Gung loves a good video game, and also really enjoys collecting things. Skylander seemed right up his alley, but SJ wasn't quite as enthused. He watched the boy play,  and didn't mention it again.

Fast forward to this past Sunday. The Toys R' Us catalogue has arrived, and their circular in the Sunday paper was nearly as engrossing. Their was a truly elaborate spread detailing the newest Skylander saga, including a lengthy list of available characters and boxes next to their pictures to check off as you collect each one. Lo Gung pointed it out to Siu Jeun and the two of them worked each other into quite the frenzy. By the time their conversation was over, SJ was absolutely rabid. He had to have Skylander. He had always wanted Skylander. Was there any chance Skylander could, say, show up BEFORE his birthday? He slept with the check list under his pillow that night, eyes sparkling as he explained to me that just maybe if he put it under his pillow, someone would magically turn the list into an actual figurine! (The Tooth Fairy made her first visits to our home this year - that's the only explanation I have.) I told him to dream about it, and sent him off to dreamland grinning.

Monday he spent 10 minutes regaling his grandmother with the ins and outs of this magnificent game. Because, obviously, he was now an expert. Whenever he got me alone, he begged for the game. (Nobody is as good at the word "please" as a determined 4 year old boy with a buzz cut and chocolate brown eyes. I should get a medal.)

Tuesday, he moved on to bribes. "Mom, if you get me Skylanders BEFORE my birthday, I will get you a...watch!" (I received an absolutely beautiful watch from Lo Gung last year for Christmas, and he knows how much I love it.) "Uh, dude? How are you going to pay for it??" "MOM. I don't have any money. Dad will pay! At Costco!" As if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "But, SJ...I already HAVE a watch." "Oh, well then...I'll get you jewelry!" Smart boy, that one. He will go far in life.

His face was absolutely heartbreaking. His eyes were torn, somewhere between despair and hope. Maybe Mom would go for it? She probably won't, but...maybe. Oh, just MAYBE. It's that maybe that fuels all his dreams and hopes.

We got through that conversation without too many tears, and went on with our day. (The answer, unfortunately for me, was no. Darn it - I would look fabulous in a new diamond necklace!) Dinner. Playing. Bedtime. Lo Gung is now hanging the game over his head. "Kid, go to bed or you will NEVER get Skylander!" Fair? No, not really, but...hey. You've never lived with SJ. Dude takes every ounce of sanity you have - that level of enthusiasm, creativity, curiosity, and energy would power entire solar systems.

After we got the kids to bed, we sat down to relax a bit before bed. When we finally headed upstairs to go to sleep, we made our usual rounds through the kids rooms. We go quietly into each baby's room, kiss their sticky little heads, tuck their covers up under their chins, and sneak back out. Well, that's the idea anyhow. Lo Gung loves to go into SJ's room and talk in a normal speaking voice. His "sleep" is just barely across the "not awake" line. He wakes up at the drop of a hat, and is raring to go, completely coherent. It's disgusting. My computer takes longer to wake up than that kid. (I take a solid 10 minutes to wake up, and am unable to carry on any conversation before the 60 minute mark.) Anyhow, SJ will follow directions in his sleep, or answer questions. (I loved it when he was a toddler - he would kiss me if I asked him. So sweet.) So, Lo Gung leans over. "Hey, SJ! It's Skylander time!"

Let that sink in for a minute.

SJ sat straight up, eyes open. "What??!" His voice - so incredulous, so happy, so...little boy who just got amazing news. Lo Gung absolutely dissolved. He carefully pushed SJ back down onto his pillow and gently held him there while shushing him. He was, after all, still technically asleep. That was all he could do, though - he was laughing so hard I thought he would wake all three kids up. You know that funny way you laugh when you know you have to be quiet, but you just can't hold it in? So, instead of just laughing, you sort of gasp, wheeze, whistle, and shake? Yeah. I swatted him, and sent him out with a threat - he had to go straight to our room and shut the door. I still had a baby to check on! It helped, but only just barely - I could still hear him.

I made it to our room, after checking on everyone, before I dissolved into giggles as well.

Moral of the story? SJ REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANTS THE SKYLANDER GAME. He has proved how determined his little boyish heart can be...so there is that!

The end.