sentimentality

This morning, I dragged myself out of bed and made the kids' lunches. Then I woke up my baby to take her in the shower with me. She sleepily stood up and I picked up her tiny four year old body. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. She was so warm and my heart melted with her breath on my neck.

Instead of heading into the shower, I laid down on my bed with her - completely in love with the rare moment of sleepy cuddling. And as I lay there I started remembering the early morning cuddles with all of my children. My older children will never cuddle me like this again, I thought. We will be close, we will hug and touch, but these warm neck breaths - they won't ever happen again with them.

And then - like an answered prayer - my husband came into the room and told me we were an hour ahead of schedule. My alarm clock was set wrong and we were an hour ahead of schedule! Oh joy!! Cuddling could commence. I called out to my other children - anyone want to join us??

They came running and in a few moments there was one on the other side of my baby, one at my back, their warmth at my neck, and one on top of me. There were elbows and knees and we were all wrapped up with each other in a massive cuddle.

It lasted for a few minutes - just a few - before someone started shifting and someone started complaining and someone else had to go to the bathroom so someone else took their spot and when the first someone came back there was an argument about who's spot it actually belonged to. And I said - ok! Enough!! Go pack your bags!!!

But I loved those few minutes.