Enjoying my little ones

1.  Last night, my husband had to work late, so I needed to get the babies ready for bed.  Miraculously, they were both peaceful through dinner and bathtime and putting on diapers and pajamas and snacktime.  Then it was time to actually put them to sleep ... first Linus, then Lucy.  Linus resisted.  What he wanted, you see, was for me to take him to bed and nurse him to sleep before gingerly transferring him to his crib.  But I can't do that and watch Lucy at the same time.

This could have been a disaster of epic proportions, complete with two screaming babies.  My husband might have been greeted by a screaming infant and a NAKED screaming toddler (she has recently learned how to remove her clothes), but that's not the way it happened.  When  Lucy finished her snack, she picked up her babydoll, climbed up onto the couch, arranged a blanket over her legs, and lay down, sucking her fingers, while I paced with Linus.  We were thus when my husband arrived home.  He took Lucy and put her to sleep, and Linus finally got what he wanted.

2.  This morning at breakfast, Lucy heard my husbands stomach rumble a little bit, and said, "Beep.  'Lo."  She thought it sounded like one of our cell phones vibrating.

3.  Linus has made up a couple of his own games.  His version of making funny faces is to tilt his head to one side or the other and smile (Mama is then supposed to imitate).  This is somewhat challenging for him when he is sitting upright unsupported; it's funny to watch him gingerly leaning his head over to initiate his game and trying not to knock himself over at the same time.


4.  Linus likes to play peekaboo with me while nursing.  He reaches up to grasp my chin and push my face away so that then I can look back at him.  Over, and over, and over ...  He did that lasts night until he fell asleep.

5.  When Lucy spills water on the floor (not an infrequent occurrence, since she demands a drink of water in her toy teacups twenty or thirty times a day) she says "Wet!" and then demands a "Tow' " to wipe it up.

6.  The other day, Linus was jumping in his jumperoo, and Lucy stood next to him and jumped, too.  This made Linus giggle, which was exactly the right sort of encouragement for Lucy, who is a ham, so they continued to make each other laugh for a good fifteen or twenty minutes, while I stood by and basked in the cuteness.

7.  So why are all these moments of grace?  Because part of my vocation as a mother of little ones (and part of being pro-life) is being joyful and enjoying them.  And because I need to thank some guardian angels for averting disasters of epic proportions.