I guess it's Aiden's spotlight week.
He's growing out of his naps. Don't get me wrong, he'll still take a nap, but it's better for all of us if he doesn't. When I let him sleep during the day, he's up until way too late at night. For my personal sanity and mommy happiness, my kids need to be bedded down by 8:30 at the latest.
The problem with this is that by 4:00 in the afternoon he's crashing! The whining, antagonizing and overall can't-seem-to-cope-with-life levels hit the roof. I remember AJ and Avery going through this transitional stage and I know we'll survive, but I don't like it any more now than I did then!
This afternoon was especially trying because he's not feeling great. As we approached that seemingly magical four o'clock hour, I was sitting on the couch feeding Lydia (yes, I do sit down occasionally!). My little buddy approached me with open arms and those big brown eyes that I could just drown in. "Mommy, I hold you?," he begged. For those who have passed or not yet entered this stage, I hold you is two year old speak for "will you hold me?" Simple pronoun confusion, but oh, so cute!
He crawled up in my lap and, I am not exaggerating here, within 30 seconds I felt him relax and just melt. He was out. Zonked. Sound asleep. It was the best feeling in the world to know that he could just let it all go and totally relax into oblivion while I held him. The most wonderful of mommy pleasures. I forced myself to sit with him awhile longer and just enjoy his sweet smell before I put him in his bed. These snippets of time don't come often enough and when they do they pass much too quickly.Of course, there was a steady pitter-patter of feet up and down the stairs until nearly eleven o'clock tonight, but on a day like today it was absolutely worth it!