So, two puppies +two kittens = little-no sleep.

The puppies have to be taken out at 9.30 pm, 11.30 pm, 1.30 am, 4.00 am, 6.00 am. It’s precise schedule and my mother wanted to know if we used an alarm. Yes. We use two. They’re finely tuned instruments called Milo & Murphy’s bladders. And when they give the alarm, our guys go from, “Hey, I gotta pee,” to “WAGH!!! I GOTTA PEE!!!!” in 2.3 milliseconds. In fact, they remind me of someone….who is it….oh. right. me.

Granted, I don’t bay or howl, but I have been known to bark. And of course, the schedule is somewhat flexible. So, if they go out at 10 pm, they don’t necessarily need the 11.30…and the 4 am is mainly b/c the kittens are up, looking for breakfast, and I just may as well take the puppies out.

Now, in the past week, *sniff* *sniff* my little ones are growing up. They’re sleeping longer, so the 11.30 & 1.30 potty breaks have been ignored as their bladders are getting stronger…so, this morning, I wake up around 4 am to complete quiet.

Everyone is sleeping. And I start waxing nostalgic. All my guys are growing up, heading into adulthood. Gussy is snoozing by my feet, Remi is on the pillow to my right…and I start thinking about how fleeting babyhood is for animals, how quickly they become adults, and I start wondering if the kitties will be like their forerunners, Smokey & Peachy, and become 5 am/6 am feeders………

And I also start thinking, “Yowza. I’m starving. I wish they would wake up because I don’t want to wake them up. It’s good they’re still sleeping, want to give them some subtle positive reinforcement, kinda thing….but y’know, I’m STARVING. Really hungry. And after lying there for what feels like an hour, waxing alternately poetic and weepy over they’re growing up, I turn over and look at the clock…and it says:

2.12 am.

2?

2?!

Did I time warp? Have a brain cramp? How did I mess up two and four o’clock? Yeesh. So, all the weepy nostalgia was for nought because they weren’t growing up and sleeping later, they weren’t entering adulthood. No. They, unlike me, were finely in tune with their biological clocks and were sleeping soundly.

Though not for long.

At that point, dang it, I was beyond starving and thought, “screw positive reinforcement. I’m getting some tea and toast.”

Oh, yeah, and catching up on my blog posting…