As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be

Bodhi woke up this morning at 5 a.m. He’s been sleeping through the night for a while now, usually starting his day between 7 and 9. Today’s unusually early beginning can likely be attributed to some new enamel ripping through his gums. I gave him baby tylenol and some milk and held him in my arms. And despite the early hour and even though he wasn’t going back to sleep, there was nothing else I would have rather been doing.

One of the things I have relished the most about having a brand new, super mellow baby girl who sleeps all the time, is having her lay on my chest and cuddling and kissing her to my heart’s delight. This is something I have not been able to do with the B-man for quite some time.

Sometimes when we’re at the park, or even at home, and I lay flat on my back, Bodhi climbs onto me like this.

And then, for just a fleeting moment, he rests his head on my chest and I hug him and it’s seriously one of the best feelings ever. But in a flash, before I can barely blink, his head pops up and his crawling and climbing and exploring recommences. He’s a busy guy and he has things to do.

His already hasty departure from babyhood seems to have been expedited by Sasha’s arrival. He’s a veritable giant compared to her.

But this morning was different. Once I realized he wasn’t going back to sleep, I sat down and held him across my chest with his long legs dangling onto the couch. And I snuggled him and hugged him and kissed him on his forehead and scratched and massaged his back. And he didn’t try to wiggle out, he didn’t flip over, he didn’t arch his back.

He just laid there. Calm, peaceful, content. He even closed his eyes.

And when he did, I smiled and closed mine too.