Good Grief, I Adore This Kid

Crinkle. Snap. Sqwerrrk.

I looked over my shoulder and there Luke sat on his knees, chubby feet curled up under his bum, fishing through my purse with gum in his hands and mouth. Receipts and lip gloss scattered around him and he simply sat there giggling. Giggling and smiling because he loves anything of mama's and was content to be in my company.

Then he broke into my hat collection. The brown one lost appeal, but the purple one fit just right. A polka dot scarf seemed the perfect addition to the pile of newly found play things, and he just kept right on giggling as he stomped and bonked with that noisy crawl of his from one end of the room to the other.

This circus of a game continued on for about 20 minutes, and then Luke tenderly rubbed his eyes, in that vulnerable, uncoordinated way babies do. I scooped him up in my arms to put him down for his morning nap, when he gently placed his small head on my shoulder, right in the nape of the neck especially made for mothers.

There we rocked back and forth, just our two heartbeats thumping together. It's those sublime moments that remind me that my baby, however big he may grow, will always be my baby.