!@#$% Hamster (Oh, & merry Christmas to all)

Did Santa bring you what you asked for? Did you lay abed listening to excited whispers as the little ones discovered Santa's bounty? Did you have to make a last minute run to the store because you ran out of a key ingredient at the last second?

I very nearly committed hamstercide early this morning. We returned from midnight mass at roughly 1:45 & sent the kids to sleep as soon as they made Santa's goody plate (chocolate chip cookies & vanilla pudding with a glass of eggnog). Husband & I stayed up until 2:45 drinking eggnog & listening to carols.

Husband fell promptly asleep, snoring a bit. Often I have trouble falling deeply asleep & usually meditate or start a rosary in my head until I can drift off. Three fifteen I hear rustling & quiet little noises. Thinking one of the children had awakened & were out snooping around I got up & walked around the pitch dark apartment. All was quiet. I returned to bed.

Three thirty same drill. Now I was getting worried. I went into the loo (it was dark remember), sat & promptly had the scare of a lifetime as the !@#$%& hamster rushed over my feet & hung a left into the livingroom. O.M.G. Well, I told myself, at least I knew who the culprit was. I also knew that I'd never be able to sleep with him running around. Besides, I was now TOTALLY awake.

Fortunately, Lemon Drop has a serious jones for a particular treat. After shutting all doors in order to enclose the space a little I turned on the lights. Dazed by the sudden brightness, he crouched beside the trash can under a large buffet. I carefully dropped treats just close enough that he had to come within arm's reach. Being the sucker that he is, Lemon Drop made a mad dash for his treat & I scooped him up. Imprisoning him in his cage, I finally made it back to bed at 4:15. The Husband snored through it all. The kids were up betimes & we staggered into the living room at eight thirty.