i love creeping into the kids' room at night.
the reasons are mainly selfish: they ask so little of me when they are asleep. no questions, pulling, frustrations. and i can watch them. without them making a silly face. and, i can do my job well in these unconscious hours.
i get extreme pleasure from observing their automatic reactions. if someone's lovely blanket has slipped off, i lift it up and re-cover the child, murmuring, "ohhh,lovely". usually, within seconds, the child will smile and stretch in a luxurious manner. i love knowing that i have so easily given pleasure and comfort…because when they are awake& moving;i don't often have that confidence these days. parenting when your child is involved in an emotional event is so much more challenging than when maslow's basic hierarchy is your agenda.
i had a wonderful opportunity on wednesday; i got to visit a friend who 27 days ago had triplets. two girls and a boy.
the friend, her husband and a helper were stationed where else, in the babies room. all three of them, sharing a cot. oh my goodness, they were so little and so very very gorgeous.
lots of little toes, sounds, noses and snuffles. charts on the walls, labelled bottles everywhere….oh this was a walk down memory lane. a reminder of how my walls, cupboards and refrigerator had once looked. how my life was!
i was able to hold one of the girls, and watched little charles as he slept. when little isabella looked uncomfy, she needed one of four things: a new nappy, more food, a burp or sleep. four choices. (it was food, btw). the parents have them on a great schedule, but the time between feedings is practically non existant…60 minutes? was that really my world for those first months? i left missing those sweet little babies that used to be mine, but so grateful that we have moved on. because i still have those quiet nights, where with a quick smooth of a blanket, i can bring an instant smile to a face and know that i took care of their needs.
