Is there anything more beautiful than a sleeping child? I don’t think so! When school got out in May, with the kids home, Eddie stopped taking naps. I hated to see that day come! Eddie is wild and having that break in the afternoon was nice, not having to guard his life. The good thing was we didn’t have to tip toe around anymore and Bubba could get stuff out of his room if he wanted. Eddie sure gets tired though in the afternoon and many times will cat nap on the couch while he is watching one of his favorite shows! The real fun is keeping him awake if it’s too late for him to sleep. One time, Maggie had a squirt bottle and every time he would glaze over and stare out the window of the car, Mags would give him a quick spritz to wake him up! I know it seems so wrong but if you’re a mom, you understand how much that 5-minute nap in the car will screw up the rest of your day!
The best thing about us ending 12 years of naps at this house is early bedtime for Ed! Tonight at 6:30, he could barely keep his eyes open. I still have him in the crib because he hasn’t climbed out yet (I pray I didn’t just jinx it!) We have book time at night and I put Ed in the crib with a book and he looks at it until he goes to sleep usually! Tonight, I peeked in there and he said to me, “Can you lay down with me?” How could I resist? I gave him lots of hugs and laid down in Bubba’s bed and slowly watched Ed drift away into dreamland. It was so precious to watch. YES, I took a picture of him with a flash but don’t tell Dan! Eddie was too peaceful and angelic that I had to capture that moment! Dan says all the time that I ruin the moment by trying to capture the moment with a picture but the reality is I won’t remember the moment very long if I don’t have the picture!
My sisters have transitioned into life with most of their kids moving out and now living on their own. I don’t know how they have done it. I am so happy and grateful that all my five babies are still at home with me. When I lay down at night, all of them are safely tucked in their beds! I think back to a story that still makes me cry. When I lived at home, I would always throw my leather jacket on the stairs at night and miraculously it was always hanging in the coat closet the next day. The last night I stayed at home before I moved out, my mom heard something downstairs and ran down to see what it was. My Daddy was sitting on the bottom stair holding my jacket and crying, knowing it would be the last time he hung it up for me. I didn’t know that story for a long time until a friend of my Dad’s who knew about it, told me. I wept, somewhat out of control and called my mom and asked her about it. We both cried some more. Parenting isn’t easy and so much harder than I thought it would be. You are never really free again after you have children because they forever have your heart. I trust that God will prepare me for that time when I must let them go, but for now, sleep in heavenly peace sweet babies!
No comments:
Post a Comment