Blessings: Nap Time (Day 22)
Verse to ponder: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3
Naps are really important in my house. In fact, without naps, I wouldn’t get half the work done that I need to get done. Flash gave up his morning nap somewhere around early September, and I’ve been battling the no-time-to-work monster ever since. With the Animal, I had both morning and afternoon nap time to work. This school year has been extremely strange trying to fit three jobs into about 2 hours worth of time.
But I don’t just feel like nap time is a blessing because it allows me to work. Today, as I was rocking Flash before his afternoon nap, it reminded me that this time is fleeting. The Animal basically never let me rock him. Miss Sassy Pants let me, but I stopped doing it after she was about 1 because I didn’t want to “spoil her” (new parenting mistake). Flash still lets me rock him and sing to him a bit before putting him (awake) in his crib, so I keep taking advantage of the time.
Today, I made up a silly song about the stuffed owl he’s suddenly obsessed with. He started singing along. My heart melted at that moment.
And then his little sister — 32 weeks in utero — kicked him. He rearranged himself on my burgeoning belly (because I’m still pretty sure he has no idea that there’s actually a human in there) and kept on singing just a few beats behind me.
That’s when it hit me: in just about 8 weeks, I’ll have a new creature in the house who will demand my time. Someone else may need to put Flash down for a nap, or I may not have as much time to rock him as I take now (yes, I admit, I often rock him longer than is truly necessary).
This time with my current youngest is a blessing. And the time I spend talking to the Animal before he attempts to take his nap is also a blessing. And the time I spend with Miss Sassy Pants before she goes to bed at night is a blessing. All blessings that I need to remember are in my grasp right. now. Because in a few more years, they’ll probably laugh at me if I try to hang out with them…at least until they’re older and need me there to rock their babies.
