let sleeping babes lie

Friday morning, Moose woke up at 2:30 or so (yes, in the morning). I figured he was cold because we'd put him to bed in just a tank top. He's had some awful heat rash the last few weeks so I thought that was the best pjs I could give him. Anyway, I figured I'd just cover him up or put some pants on him.
He was pretty wide awake when I got in there so I changed his diaper and put pants on - not a peep out of the kid! I grabbed his awesome camo blanket (from Mrs. Spiderlegs) and covered him with it while cuddle rocking in the chair. He sucked his right thumb as always while using his left hand to poke at me. He just would use his pointer finger and raise it to my face: my mouth, my nose, my eyes, whatever. So I swaddled his arm back into the blanket. And he just laid there, gazing up at me with his big ol' eyes.
After twenty minutes or so, I needed a potty break because this kid was WIDE AWAKE. So I woke up Big A before my bladder lost it. He rocked him for a good twenty minutes or so, too, before laying him down to just fall asleep on his own.
I couldn't sleep so I read part of a story out of my Redbook magazine. Around 3:30 or so, Moose woke up again. I wasn't far asleep so I went in there to rock with him (I knew Big A hadn't covered him in the blanket so he was probably cold again).
I cuddle rocked again for awhile...all the while, he's just staring at me. I laid him in his crib, which he didn't like.
I laid him down & rubbed his back. I made my way to the floor and sat by his crib. I stuck my hand through the slats and rubbed his back. Here comes his baby hand reaching out towards me. I held his hand with my free hand and rubbed the back of it. I sat there awhile before I came to a realization:
My son didn't need me in there...he wanted me in there.
Moose knew he could fall asleep on his own, but he wanted me to rub his back and his hand, to be beside him while he laid there. I could have stayed there all night (except for that needing sleep thing).
I won't lie, I cried. It was probably the most precious moment of his life thus far.
It's great to be someone your kid wants, even when he doesn't have the words yet to tell you.

Comments

sassy stephanie said…
You just made me cry!! I miss the days of my little ones playing with my face, putting their fingers in my mouth, pulling gently on my hair while I nursed them. *sigh

I so love that pic. I love pics of sleeping babies. So sweet.

My youngest (now 3) makes me laugh when I pat him and he reaches to pat me back. I soak it up.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Kiki and Lele said…
Love that you put us on your side bar. Thanks so much, good luck in the contest. You have such a cute family!
Kiki & Lele
Anonymous said…
This is a really beautiful post. Reading things like this makes me so look forward to motherhood myself. Thanks for sharing this with us!

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