Little Things - Breathing Her In

Two-forty a.m.. I begin tossing and turning. The branches on the tree outside our window dance melodically as the wind blows through them, swaying back and forth like fan-filled stadium doing the wave. I begin to hear Lola tossing and turning as well and I'm hopeful that she will wake, though early, and want some quality snuggle time. I roll over to check on her and realize she is sitting up in her crib, her little Cocker Spaniel tucked safely under her arm and blanket clenched in the other hand. Her eyes are wide, filled with a look of hope and she begins to whimper. Maybe she felt like I needed her. I picked her up, embracing her warm body, making it back in bed. We share my pillow, which I normally don't care for, and as I brush her little brown curls behind her little ear she looks at me and smiles. Her eyes are filled with joy and love and in that moment I realize, I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. I continue playing with her hair noticing that with each stroke our breaths become more and more in-sync. I hold her closer, hearts align, and I breathe her in. I take in every minute that passes until my little bright-eyed wonder drifts peacefully back to sleep.

This is what motherhood is about, finding joy in the littlest moment, seizing an opportunity to soothe and comfort and love, unknowingly gaining the same in return. And though my eyes are puffed with the proof of few hours of sleep, my heart is filled to the brim with warmth. This is the best kind of morning.