Julie, our Parenting Special Kids blogger, just wrote a post about how unpredictable life is sometimes. How out of control of her schedule she feels, all the while needing to provide a consistent schedule for her daughter.

This morning I got a little dose of unpredictability...at 5:40 a.m.

Some days I get up around 5:30 to get an early start on my day. It's easier for me to write in the early morning and today, especially, I wanted to check my various news websites to get election results. I'm pleased to say that my local elections went the way I wanted them to...we didn't vote for any big national elections in my district so my thoughts have been close to home.

Anyway, at about 5:40 I heard some suspicious breathing.

It wasn't my cat, although the cat sometimes wheezes. It was Little J. I know his breathing, although I was really surprised he was keeping quiet otherwise.

This lasted about 5 minutes, then he came in my office and started talking to me. Why did I get up so early, I thought, if I wasn't going to get any work done? Why is this kid up so early? He's usually dead to the world until I wake him up around 7.

Now, when Big J was this age he consistently woke up around 5 every morning. Now he gets up at a more reasonable time. I hope this isn't the start of something for Little J!

So, for now I've sent him to talk to his father (although I believe he's tormenting the cat), and I'm stuck trying to post an inane blog entry before he comes back. Can you write anything intelligent when your child is talking to you? I can't. Obviously.

Here's what "The Pampers Institute" says about how to deal with an early riser:

EARLY MORNING GLORY Leave a book or a quiet toy in your child's bed so he can amuse himself for a little while after he wakes up. He can't understand the concept of waking up "too early," but you can tell him to stay in his room until the light comes in the window or he hears you say "good morning." You can also try putting a digital clock in his room. Cover up the minutes with a piece of paper on which you've printed a "wake-up number" and tell him he can get up when the numbers underneath the paper exactly match the numbers on the paper (for example, "30" for a 7:30 wake-up call).

That's a good one. Book or quiet toy. They obviously haven't seen my little guy play. Toys and books are never quiet. They're opportunities to make AS MUCH NOISE AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!

Here's hoping that tomorrow will be a more uneventful morning...

Edited to add:

Big J just came downstairs...complaining that his brother woke him up. He's noisy, he said. He was going zheeeeshhhh, then whooooooo, then chugga chugga chugga. I just want to sleep.

I know the feeling, honey.