Right Where I am supposed to be

My 9 month old just reminded me of a very basic, but often forgotten lesson in my life and I thought it was worthy to share. Miss Kinz woke up an hour earlier than usual, so naturally she was ready to nap an hour earlier.....at least I thought so. Well, after rocking, singing, reading, drinking a bottle (even though it was too early to eat), chewing on a teething toy , and rocking some more, she still did not fall asleep. Now I am definitely not opposed to letting her cry herself to sleep....trust me, this is what I have to do most days because Paul is really the only one who can successfully rock her to sleep. However, even after letting her cry, it was obvious that she was not going to go down easy. It broke my heart to see her standing up in her crib, tears drenching her face, and hearing her scream like someone was pinching her.....

WHat's a mom to do?

So I wrapped her in a blanket, cuddled her up, and laid down in my bed as I stroked her head and kissed her like five hundred, million, trillion times. I am not judging those who co-sleep, but Paul and I have chosen, in fact, we made it somewhat of a rule that our children learn to fall asleep during nap and bed time in their own beds. However, today I didn't care. I just lay there with her tiny head on my chest, feeling her breathe so rapidly, as though she was terrified that I was going to put her back to bed, and watching her eyes blink open/shut/ open/shut and then just like that...she was asleep! After an hour-long battle of the wills, my babe was fast asleep.....PHEW!

But Now, I was stuck....my arm wrapped under her head and her tiny body nestled next to mine....there was no way I was going to even attempt to move and wake this sleeping beauty, Now usually, I LOVE my mid morning nap, but conveniently after finally getting Kinz to sleep, I could not physically fall asleep, much less put my mind to rest. A million things were running through my mind....the laundry, the dishes, the bills....AHHHH.

And then it hit me.....I can't remember the last time this child has fallen asleep in my arms....and I definitely can not remember the last time she seemed to ENJOY cuddling with me. Kinz is always on the go. And in just a few short months she will be walking and then who knows when I will get to cuddle her.....and so I stayed right where I was. I just stared at this beautiful face and thanked God for giving her to me and giving me this moment.

Back when I was on maternity leave and not bringing in an income, I received an email from my wise ol' dad reminding me of the importance of the little, non-materialistic, things in life. He so poignantly writes

" What you need most at this juncture in life...is time with your family. They will one day grow and this youthful time will drift into photographs and memories. Money lost can always be made again, honey...but time lost is gone forever."

I feel so blessed to be able to lay in my bed with a healthy child breathing easy on my chest, and honestly not having to worry about a thing....at least for the moment. Life really is a all about 'The Little Things'.....and I know I am right where I am supposed to be:)