There is a Time of Day . . .

. . . that I truly look forward to. It's one that had left our house about a year ago. Now it's back, and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

We've started the new bedtime routine. After Meg is snuggled into bed, Kate gets a bath and then I get some time alone with her. About 9:30pm, I get to wrap her up tight, hold her close, and nurse her in her nursery. We have a new nursery CD that we listen to (Meg took hers with her to the big girl room) . . . and I've already fallen in love with the sounds. Kate and I cuddle in the darkness, listen to the soft melodies. I get a few minutes to just hold her, rest, and think about my day.

I relish in it. I wrap my arms all the way around her and let her cozy into my chest. After she's off to sleep, I hold her longer than she needs to be held. Jim came in there looking for us last night . . . just wanted to make sure that I hadn't fallen asleep, too (which happens).

I didn't really understand how precious that time was with Meg. I did the same with her . . . I held her too long and listened to her music for quite a while at times . . . and I loved it just as much. But I never thought about when that the time would end.

It ends when they get big. When the become independent. Sometimes now, I'll ask Meg, "Do you want Mommy to snuggle you for a minute?" at the end of our bed time routine . . . and she has been known to say, "No, Mommy. You go." It doesn't break my heart because I know she's just becoming more and more independent. It just makes me scoop her up that much more quickly when she does ask to "Rock" in the chair in her little sister's room.

I feel lucky to have a second little one that I get to rock to bed each night. Forget that crazy worry about a 'sleep prop' or 'spoling' the child. I rocked Meg to bed each and every night until she was about 14 months old . . . until she preferred to go to bed on her own. And now I have another little angel that I can rock. Oh, how I love bed time.

Think of me tonight between 9:30-10:00pm. I'll be nestling in with my no-longer-newborn baby girl and soaking in the sweetness.



PS -- See, there are lots and lots of fantastically positive things about having a second child. Clearing my head this past weekend has really helped me to see them.