it has begun.

5:04am.

(fuss, fuss, shift)

5:06am.

(fake cough, pause, fake cough, pause, fake cough, pause fake cough)

5:07am.

mmmmmmmmmmmm.........mmmmmmmmuuuuuuuummmmmmm.....

5:08am.

mammmammmammmammmamm.....mamamamamama...ma...ma...

It's not truly a "mama" yet, but oh so painfully close. Now, for those of you without kids, just the sound of a baby crying is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Factor in the 5 am part and you start justifying the use of firearms. For me, this is the end of an era. There is something about a baby crying that is just that, a cry. Now, a baby screaming "mama!" at the top of it's lungs at 5 am is really not something to be ignored or, god forbid, slept through. It is also the sign all fathers thank jesus for to get them off the hook in the middle of the night.

"Honey, (nudge), the baby is calling for you."