We've been waking up at 5am for Michelle's current peds rotation. We naturally gravitate towards falling asleep around midnight, so any rotation like this (surgery, last fall), is a departure from the norm.
Getting up before the sun has its bright spots. Once she's at the hospital I do any dishes we have, make some coffee, and feed the dogs. Then I start work, typically 2-3 hours before many of my programmer brethren. It's quiet and cool, and it's always amazing to think, around 2pm, that the typical 8-hour workday is over.
How we wake: After my five-minute morning ritual of walking to the bathroom, washing my face, brushing my teeth, I walk back to the bed and turn on the lights and some noise (Pandora, or something from Hulu/Netflix). I like to think this helps her wake up gently, like those $100 gradual light-and-music alarm clocks. The truth is that she has a sleep sentinel that guards her from my waking advances. It dutifully pins up extra-thick opaque sheets behind her eyes, commandeers her ossicles, and installs itself somewhere in her brain stem, with just enough control to swat me away when I shake her. Eventually, after some more shake-then-recoil moves and lots of time to wake up, sweetie, this sentinel retreats. Her eyes open and she smiles at me, unaware of the little skirmish I fought.
Fitz rejects 5:00 am. He'd normally get up and follow us about the house, but at this hour he sleeps, staying in bed until we approach the door to leave, but he is too late, like Joey.
Joey: Ooh, I'll play! I'll play!
Phoebe: No-no! You need your sleep. Night-night! Shh!