It was 6:18 AM. I was putting coffee on and heading downstairs to my workout when he came downstairs with a confused look on his face. I thought it was a little odd for him to come down without his robe. Clearly he was intent on finding me. I was struck by the smallness of him, standing there in his skivvies, and I held my arms out to him. "You okay, baby?" I asked.
"I had a really bad dream, Mom," he replied. "Okay, honey," I said. "Come sit down with me and tell me about it."
We went into the living room. It was still dark outside, so we cozied up in the easy chair and ottoman. Long and lanky, he fit onto my lap perfectly, draping the rest of himself however he could. He took my arm and wound it round himself so he could stay wrapped and warm.
He tried to tell me about his dream. All the while, I'm thinking, (complete with guilt, thank you!) "I need to help him process quickly so I can get to my workout." After three attempts, he said,"I just can't phrase it right. Can we just sit here for a few minutes?"
"Sure," I said. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. Soon I felt his breathing begin to even out. Stroking his hair, I remembered holding him as a baby and thinking how fast ten years have gone by. This was his last morning as a 9 year old. Sigh. The other day when I remarked to someone he was turning ten, they told me his years spent with me were more than half over. I wanted to yell,"Don't! Say! That!" and push them away. But it's true. They are. He's so excited to get to be in "double digits". And already talking about driving...
He moved his head a bit, and I broke from my trip down memory lane. "Honey, I can carry you upstairs if you want. I'll put you in my spot in my bed and you can snuggle up to Daddy."
"Can we just stay right here? It's just that, well, I'm at peace right here and it's just not the same with Daddy."
Knowing how quickly the last ten years have passed, and that the next eight will be even faster, I didn't hesitate. My hips and thighs could wait. I hugged him a little tighter and relaxed.
"You bet, baby," I whispered. "We can stay here all day if we need to."
Yours, relishing the moments,
Melissa
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Too precious. It sounds so cliche, but it does go by too quickly. My two are just 3 and a half and 15 months, and I'm already freaking out about the someday when they'll leave home.
ReplyDeleteMy 3 year old is now telling me that she should be able to have 4 (bite sized) cookies at snack time because on her next B-day she'll be four. She's already trying to use age as an advantage. :)
Tears in my eyes and gladness in my heart for the blessings of my babies....it goes by way too fast. Sometime I am moving too fast trying to get all of the "important" things done, to relish the moment. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteTanya- OH! They learn so quickly!!! They use whatever they can to their advantage, don't they? :)
ReplyDeleteRu- my pleasure. How often do I say,"I can't right now, honey."? I'm making myself sit down more- play more games, organize my time differently (all while repeating "it's because they ARE only kids, Melissa! That's why they are acting like kids! :)