MOMent of the Day: Sharing Smiles

9:31 am ByFiled UnderMOMent of the Day

It’s Sunday evening. After a day of apple picking and fun at the apple orchard, we are all gathered at my mother-in-law’s house to celebrate my birthday a week early (which I keep forgetting). Our delicious Thanksgiving-style dinner has digested enough that most of us now have room for the apple and peach pies that are being served as my birthday dessert.

I have just survived the Birthday song (being the center of attention is not really my thing) and blown out my candle. As always, this accomplishment is followed by a round of applause – one of The Munchkin’s favorite things.

She loves to clap and cheer, and having observed all of this, the little leader in her decides that it must continue. She isn’t certain of the reason for the clapping, but she is determined to have it go on.

Standing in the center of the room, surrounded by everyone, she lifts her arms in celebration and shouts, “Yaaaay,” her little hands clapping away in front of her.

We all respond with a resounding clap and cheer.

Her smile widens and she does it again.

“Yaaaaay,” she shouts.

“Hooray,” we all reply and clap back.

She is looking around the room at everyone, pleased that she has the attention of every person in the house.

She cheers once again. And once again, we all cheer and clap back.

This time, she pauses. She knows she has all of us captivated and wants to keep her hold on everyone. I watch her little face as she processes what is happening. She is concentrating. Deciding. She has our attention. Now what can she do to keep it going? My little entertainer.

Then, like a story teller or singer leading a crowd in some sort of response activity, she leans forward, grinning wide at her audience and says, “Hi!”

Laughter escapes from her audience, and we all respond appropriately with a “hi,” or our own.

She looks at her daddy. She looks at me. Her smile grows even bigger. Success! She is eating up every second of this. We all are.

She throws her hands up and cheers again. After we follow her cheer with our own she proceeds with another, “Hi!”

This continues for a little while, everyone in the house following the lead of this 18-month-old crowd pleaser.

The Hubs and I aren’t certain exactly where this boldness comes from. We are both more reserved and tend to prefer not to be in the spotlight. But wherever it came from, one thing is certain: The Munchkin knows how to work a room.

What I’m not sure she grasps yet is just how special it is to everyone she entertains. It’s more than just a cute toddler showing off. It’s contagious happiness. We all delighted in her moment. Whatever stresses may have been in the back of our minds while she was cheering and greeting us disappeared. And the memory of it was a gift we all have to treasure long after the clapping ended that evening.

My little entertainer – sharer of smiles.

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A Bedtime Story

8:48 pm ByFiled UnderMisc., MOMent of the Day

That last hour of the day before bedtime just may be the most important hour of childhood.

It’s a time when everything else in the world stops. There’s no TV in the background. The house gets a little quieter. Things slow down bit.

Sure, there is still a stream of events, but it’s constant. Predictable. Stable. And full of love.

I remember it even when I was a kid. My dad reading chapters of Winnie the Pooh to my sister and me. My mom standing in the frame of our door for what seemed like hours (and it sometimes was) talking about whatever was on our minds.

Even when I was no longer a young child, I remember having important and meaningful conversations with my parents just before bed.  For some reason, it was the time when you could talk about anything. Barriers that existed during the day of subjects that seemed difficult to discuss with parents dissolved at bedtime. Their divorce, why people die, school difficulties…it all came out when it was time for bed. And I slept better.

And as I sit now writing this, listening to The Munchkin’s solid, stable, sleepy breathing on the monitor, I realize that we have made the same true for her. And I love it.

Every night right after dinner we head up the stairs and begin our routine. And even though The Munchkin knows that she’ll have to go to sleep soon, she’s excited for this special time we spend together right before bed.

Every other night consists of a bath. The rest include extra potty practice and sometimes a little bonus play/wrestle time with daddy (which doesn’t exactly count as a “wind-down” activity but is so full of giggles I can’t find it in myself to ask them to simmer down). Then we peel off The Munchkin’s clothes, put on a fresh diaper and wrestle her into her pajamas.

That’s when the real fun begins. Freshly pj’d and ready to snuggle, The Munchkin picks some books from her table and the three of us read them together. For one of the few times in her busy toddler day, she is happy to sit quietly with us. In fact, she insists on sitting on one of our laps. She pulls a book off her table, proudly walks over to whomever is the reader that evening and promptly plops herself onto that lap before you could ever have the chance of directing her elsewhere (not that anyone ever would though). We usually go through three books before we pick them up and tuck her, with droopy eyes and droopier pig-tails, into bed.

That time is so full of love and family that it almost makes my heart burst. Even the pets lounge in her room with us, as much a part of the routine as the books and the hugs and the love.

It’s a rare evening when The Hubs and I both are not involved in the bedtime routine. Those final hugs and kisses of the night are sometimes the absolute best part of the day and there isn’t much I’m willing to trade for them.

Every night as we tip-toe out of her room after saying our last “Night, nights” I can’t help but think about how special that bit of family time was. More than even dinner together. Because dinner involves lots of rushing and cutting and praying that there is no choking that it seems there isn’t as much time for talking and enjoying each other as a family.

But bedtime, oh bedtime is just something special

And I think about the stability and happiness and love it’s providing for The Munchkin. That same stability and happiness and love it provided for me.

And I pray that it never changes.

The books may be different and will probably eventually phase out. The conversation will probably mature. But I hope that it’s always there. That we’re always there. Together. To knock down barriers and let The Munchkin know that, at bedtime at least, she’s always safe and sound. And always, always loved.

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Being Present

2:07 pm ByFiled UnderMOMent of the Day, Thank You

Thank You Journal @ Alli 'n Son

You know, I was all ready to go with a post about finances and Mission SAHM stuff, but I had a MOMent today that inspired me more than any of that. I’ll get to that topic soon though, I promise, but just not today.

Sometimes, in my quest to get to the “next” thing, whatever it may be, I forget to just stop and appreciate the “right now.”

Today started early. Like waaay early. Like 4 a.m. early. After consuming a bit too much caffeine yesterday and not falling asleep until after midnight, that hour was brutal. Especially when it began with an incessant little cough blaring through the baby monitor in our bedroom.

It felt like I had just drifted off when I heard it.

*Cough*

I stirred, but a cough or two isn’t anything too unusual so I decided to remain snuggled into my pillow with my body half-covered by the bit of sheet the dog and Hubs were willing to share.

*Cough, Cough*

There it was again.

And again.

And again.

Until finally concern got the better of me and I went to check on The Munchkin, the usual worst-case-scenario thoughts racing through my sleepy mom brain as I lumbered down the dark hallway to her room.

“She’s choking on something. She’s gagging. What if it’s too late,” The thoughts hissed in the back of my mind.

She was fine.

The coughing hadn’t even really disturbed her too much. Her eyes were still closed and she was still curled up in a ball with her baby bum in the air in the corner of her crib.

Of course, being the concerned mom that I am, I couldn’t resist patting her back and wiping the hair, which was matted to her sweaty cheek and eyes, back behind her ear. Those reassuring, tender, loving, mommy actions turned out to be just enough to rouse The Munchkin into a more awakened state. Not reassuring at all it seemed. The coughing resumed and she was quickly in tears, mad that I had the nerve to try to comfort her when she was managing the cough perfectly fine on her own while sleeping thankyouverymuch!

Her little mouth assumed its perfect pout (the one she was born making) when she realized I was standing there and (part of) the reason she was awake (she was poopy, so I’m not claiming all of the blame here). That pout is adorable and heartbreaking all at the same time, and she has perfected its use.

And as I stood there in the soft, pink glow of her flower night light, admiring the pout and deciding how to respond, she reached out to me, desperate to escape the confines of her crib (and probably the poopy diaper).

I knew I had no choice. I scooped her up and she clung to me, arms wrapped tightly around my neck, head buried into my shoulder and coughed and cried. She needed her mommy right now – even if I was the one who had ruined her sleep.

I changed her diaper and at first my mind raced to today. What little sleep I had. How I would likely not get anymore. All of the things I had to do for work and how difficult it would be to complete them as groggy as I was destined to be by the time my work day would start at 9 a.m. What the possible culprit could be for this coughing and whether or not The Munchkin was getting another cold. I began resenting my job and the fact that I was up at this ridiculous hour.

But then I looked at my crying, coughing baby girl. And I refused to let those thoughts take me away from her in that moment. None of the rest of the day mattered at this point in time. My baby girl was sad, uncomfortable and sleepy. She needed me to make her feel better. She needed me present, with her in her moment.

So I was. I cast aside my anxiety about the sleep-deprived day; my fears about what the cause of the coughing attack could be and even my guilt about waking The Munchkin when she clearly needed the sleep even more than I did.

I brought her into bed with us. The Hubs woke up and got some water and infant Motrin. I patted her back when she coughed and just laid with her. Quietly. Focusing only on the “right now” – what was needed of me in this MOMent.

Eventually The Munchkin settled back down, snuggled in my arms, and we both drifted off to sleep for a little while.

When the time came, much too soon, to get into the shower and continue on with my day, I felt refreshed in spite of my exhaustion.

Yes, physically I was tired. But mentally, emotionally, I was refreshed because I forced myself to be in that moment. I pushed everything else away – all the nagging and whatifs and noise (because that’s all it really is, right? Noise.) and just focused on being there for my little girl. And I relished the fact that we had that time together this morning. Especially because I know someday, all too soon, just being there to hold and hug her when she cries in the night might not be enough. And one day I won’t be able to just bring her back into bed with us.

Today though, it turns out that it was just what we both needed.

This post is linked to Thank You Journal over at Alli ‘n Son. What are you thankful for today?

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My Happy Place

9:26 pm ByFiled UnderFirsts, MOMent of the Day, Thank You

The sun smiles down from above, waves tickle my toes while soft sand squishes lightly beneath my feet. The sweet smell of freshly applied sunscreen and the taste of salt hang in the thick air. A toddler is giggling, splashing and exploring the ocean shore for the first time, stopping to explore shells, the water and even taste the sand. My toddler. Excitedly leading her daddy down the beach during her first visit to her grandpa’s neck of the woods. A moment made even better because of the people with us – the family with whom distance causes moments like this to be rare and all the more special.

And this…

is my new happy place.

Yes, I am so very thankful for vacations!

This post is linked to “Wordful Wednesday” over at Seven Clown Circus. Check out more of the greatness there.

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Baby Cheeks

10:58 pm ByFiled UnderMOMent of the Day

Chubby, soft, cuddly baby cheeks. I just love ‘em. The Munchkin has pair just perfect for squishing and kissing. I took the opportunity to do just that this evening.

Here is my MOMent:

Freshly clean from her bath, The Munchkin is squirming on the changing table while I maneuver her limbs in an attempt to finish drying her, slather her bum with diaper cream, put on a fresh diaper and dress her in her pajamas for bed.

Until recently I have been able to successfully distract her with a toy or book while I change her diaper or dress her. Now, those items end up thrown to the floor during The Munchkin’s protest bucks. She insists on trying to make a naked escape at every opportunity and the books and toys seem to be no match for the appeal of crawling around with a bare bottom.

Not having much luck taming the kicking legs, flailing arms and twisting torso of my daughter this evening, I ditch the toy efforts opt for a good old-fashioned talking distraction.

As I wrestle her into her diaper and attempt the task of weaving her arms into the sleeves of her pajamas, I begin saying words and sounds that The Munchkin enjoys repeating lately.

One, which she just learned today, is the word bubble.

“Bub-ble,” I say to her as her second arm winds its way through the sleeve.

She claps her hands (apparently to congratulate me for saying the word) and then proceeds to repeat it. Only the b’s come out as d’s. So, for emphasis I say, “Ba-Ba-Bubble.”

It’s her turn to pause now.

She studies me while she processes what I’m trying to tell her. Her lips purse, and just when I think she’s about to repeat me, her cheeks puff with air. She looks at me with a sideways glance, and attempts to hold back a smirk.

Her inflated cheeks are so round, she looks like a puffer fish and I can’t help but laugh.

In response, The Munchkin ‘s smirk begins to spread into a smile, but it turns out that smiling makes it difficult to keep air pouched in her cheeks. It starts to escape through her pursed lips and squeaks on its way out.

The noise is hilarious to her.

Her pudgy cheeks deflate and invert with dimples as a five-toothed grin takes over and belly laughter erupts.

Her grin is so big that her pudgy little cheeks seem to be pushing her eyes into smiling squints as she laughs at the noise she has just made.

I watch my little girl and her dimpled cheeks laughing on the changing table, halfway into her pajamas.

I realize then that it’s my duty as a mother to squeeze and kiss those dimpled cheeks, no matter how much she’s squirming to escape the donning of the post-bath pajamas.

Like any responsible adult, I live up to the task. She even stops squirming enough to let me.

Those cheeks. They’re one of the greatest things in the world.

Even when they’re covered in Cheerios and graham cracker crumbs. Even when they’re streaked with tears. Especially when they’re dimpled with a five-toothed grin on a baby who stops squirming just long enough to let her mother enjoy them.

That was my MOMent today. What was yours?

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