stopping time

It's snowing this morning. This morning of May 21st, 2008. I missed my 6 a.m. date with the treadmill today because I was up consoling my sick, teething baby boy for nearly three hours last night.

Usually, I would be annoyed by having to be up in the middle of the night. I'm a girl who is totally dependent on my sleep. But as I sat in the rocking chair with his hot little body molded to mine, listening to him wheeze and push out an occasional croupy cough, I realized that this is the first time in his entire 11 months of life that I have had the privilege of being called to a middle of the night snuggle.

Now that's a good baby, a healthy baby, a good sleeper - call it what you want. Don't get me wrong, the full nights of sleep have been something I'm fully appreciative of, but I am struck by the time that has slipped by. I know the grandparents are reading this saying, "Just wait, you won't believe how it feels in 25 years." I'm sure I will experience this again and again along the way of this journey called parenting.

In the midst of my mid-night mothering, I didn't even know about this. Many of you know of my heart for orphans and adoption, so I have read much about this family's journey. But these sweet girls prompted Chapman to write a song titled, "Cinderella" that is about cherishing each moment with his daughters while they are little. He has an older daughter too, so he has perspective on how quickly the time goes by. And they never would have guessed how short their time would be with little Maria Sue. Tragic.

So, it's snowing again today. Another day indoors. As the big puffy flakes fall, I'm declaring a game, reading, coloring, fun day. So, in our pj's, you'll find us on the living room floor enjoying the time.