Author: Jackie Pick

Jackie Pick is a former teacher and current writer living in the Chicago area. She is a contributing author to multiple anthologies, including Multiples Illuminated, So Glad They Told Me: Women Get Real about Motherhood, Here in the Middle, as well as the and the literary magazines The Sun and Selfish. She received Honorable Mention from the Mark Twain House and Museum for her entry in the Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Competition. Jackie is a contributing writer at Humor Outcasts, and her essays have been featured on various online sites including McSweeney's, Belladonna Comedy, Mamalode, The HerStories Project, and Scary Mommy. A graduate of the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, Jackie is co-creator and co-writer of the award-winning short film Fixed Up, and a proud member of the 2017 Chicago cast of Listen To Your Mother.

Rocking Chairs, Moments, and Sleep Numbers.

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I’ve been awake since 2006.

There was a glorious night of sleep back in 2012 months before I got pregnant with my daughter. It was a Tuesday. I call it Magic Night, and I’ve forever captured that evening in a sensitive tribute that I hope modern-day troubadour Josh Groban will record.

Every other night, though, has involved aches, kicking babies, kicking toddlers, illness, worry, a random bout of indigestion here and there, nightmares, plans, work, catching up, getting ahead, falling behind, and snoring.

I love all those sweet baby product commercials that portray middle-of-the-night cuddles, soft lighting, precious sighs, gentle touches. This is almost the same thing as those times I get not a few droplets of fluid coughed directly from a child’s lungs into my face holes. So sweet.

I’d love to say that these are the sacred moments I’ll remember, cherish, and fondly look back on…

But I’m not going to remember much. I’ve been awake since 2006.