Sometimes its the Little Things...

The last few nights have been restless, but sweet.

Willie and I are just now recovering from a pretty terrible head cold. We have sneezed, coughed and moaned our way through these last few days. We have slept a little more, and eaten a little less. We drink lots of fluids. We get through each day (he at the babysitter, me at the office) and are both very happy when we get home for an evening with the Man of the House.

Will usually sleeps from 7pm till 4:30am – yes, he really does get up that early most days and I get up with him because he seems to think of the early morning as Mommy time. Mommy time has been extended this week…. Because when he’s congested, he struggles to breathe easily laying down. He wakes up in the night - frustrated and tired, wanting me to comfort him. This week he and I are both feeling pretty awful, but I wouldn’t give up these nights for anything. Those moments in the dark and quiet hours of late night and early morning… when we sway gently in the big rocking chair - my little prince snuggled in my arms with his blankie clutched tight – those are the most precious moments to me. For those moments, he is not the little firecracker who jumps off tables and colors on the wall. He isn’t the independent toddler who wants to do everything by himself. He isn’t ornery or mischievous. He’s just a little baby who loves his Mommy.

And oh how much his Mommy loves him back!

Dan has not caught the cold we have (thank goodness). He has, on several occasions, attempted to take over the “night shift” so that I can get some rest – to no avail. Will just cries harder… yelling for Mom-Mom to come to him. Mom-Mom can’t refuse of course, cold or no cold. I feel bad for Dan sometimes because I think he feels that he misses out, but the truth is that Will shares his time with us. He may need me when he feels sick or sad, but Daddy is his buddy. They wrestle and play catch. They look at baseball cards and watch cartoons. They read books and play in the dirt. When it’s fun and play that Willie wants, I’m usually the one standing on the sidelines.

It all balances out nicely, I think.

After work last night, my wonderful husband said that it was my night, and that he wanted to really take care of me since I’ve felt so yucky. (how sweet is he?) He offered to take me to dinner wherever I might want to go. I’m a fairly simple gal, and though my options were wide open – I wanted something pretty low-key. Something soothing and tasty. More than anything I wanted a cherry slush from Sonic. (If you aren’t familiar with Sonic, it’s a drive-in burger place that serves great drinks.) I thought Will might also enjoy a slush, though he’d never had one before. It just seemed to me that the cold sweetness of a slush would feel heavenly on a raw throat…

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So, off to Sonic we went. While sitting in the drive-thru waiting for our order, the nice Sonic employee leaned through the window and gave Will an orange balloon on a long string.

I don’t think Will had ever had a helium filled balloon before.

After a few curious tugs and bounces, his eyes lit up and his face transformed. All at once, he was amazed and transfixed and totally and utterly happy. This simple orange balloon brought him pure joy.

Even though Will hadn’t been feeling so great this week… playing with that balloon lifted him right out of the funk that his cold had pushed him into. He squealed. He sang. He giggled and chattered as he bounced it off the roof and windows of the car. He grinned at us, and we grinned back. In that moment, Dan and I were also 19 months old and enjoying our first ever balloon on a string.

It was a truly perfect moment. One that Dan and I will remember always.

I’m often reminded that it’s the simple things in life that often bring us the most joy. It’s the late night snuggles with our children. It’s the kind gesture made by a loving spouse. It’s the cherry slushes that taste just as good as expected. It’s the orange balloon in the drive-thru that makes the baby’s day.