Blessings

(I wrote this late yesterday after Jonathan's surgery but forgot to actually post it....)

Today was a gift. It is rare that our crazy life allows for a day in which I am not working and only have one little boy to take care of. It is even more rare that the one little boy spending his day with me, spends the morning curled up in my lap. I have forgotten how much fun Jonathan can be.

Granted, he was on some pretty high powered pain killers this morning and couldn't really walk straight, but for whatever the reason, he wanted to cuddle and snuggle and love on his Mom. And I couldn't have been more in Heaven. I have been noticing over the past few weeks or so, that poor little Jonathan gets jipped a lot. Matthew requires more attention right now, that's just the way it is. I try my hardest to pay lots of attention to Jonathan, but sometimes it isn't easy. He has watched too much TV and been denied too many trips to the park. He has eaten one too many chicken nuggets and been told too many excuses about why I can't build "big, big towers" with him. And I am pretty sure if I tell him "hold on buggy, Mommy is feeding brother!" one more time....he will punch me in the face. But the whole time, he has been accepting. Obviously he might whine for a minute or stomp his feet in protest, but he always, always gets over it and moves on quickly. Instead of being angry with me when I can't do something with him, he will run off and find something else to do. And instead of hating his brother for taking up my time, he loves him and tries to help feed him or hold him. There is a whole lot I can learn from my sweet little boy.

As I looked forward to his surgery this morning with anxiety and worry, I also looked forward to our day together. I knew for the first time in a very long time (as in, before bedrest) it would be just me and my guy. And I was excited. We came home this morning and literally sat on the couch for an hour before moving again. He watched 3 episodes of Barney curled up in my lap, sipping on juice and eating cereal out of a baggie. And I knew that my little boy's heart was happy. As the day progressed, we played with Play Doh, cooked lunch, watched Elmo, built lots of towers, he helped me play with fold laundry and before nap time, we laid in his bed and sang songs and read books. It was truly a blessing and something that I think we both needed desperately.

For all my stay at home mommy friends and friends who get the chance to have days like this often, please do not take your time with the your kids for granted. I am sure you don't and I know this sounds pretty cliche, but looking back, I honestly have to say that I didn't take advantage of my time with Jonathan. As he was growing from an infant to a toddler, I stressed and worried and complained about being sleep deprived. I didn't just sit down and watch him play and cherish that moment. I guess my point is, if you are given the chance to spend a day like I did today, please do it. I know for me personally, days like today are the ones I will look back on and remember when I am old and gray.