"mom, um...."

Emmett is enjoying the freedom of not being in a crib and he has been down right taking advantage of it. Little stink! Not when his dad is home, of course. Bed time is a dream. We read, we tuck them in, and if they mess with it than dad saves my world by stomping in and dealing with it. Daddy style. It works every time. That and the fact that everyone is usually spent by the end of the day.

Nap time hasn't been as cooperative. If I had to pick my most obedient child it would not be sweet Adelle and it would not be adventurous Emmett... so getting those two to lay down together and disregard their desire to play and mess with each other is really asking for a lot. I don't have my little reminder boy in there with them to help them out. He's at Kindergarten and I think Adelle and Emmett have caught onto the game.

It's partially my fault. I don't stomp in and deal with it. Adelle is not to blame. She likes to nap. She knows the routine and she follows directions. She just gives in to her brother's persuasions and before I know it my little girl is following the lead of my little boy. M is the stinker on this one.

It's been a battle. I tell them it's nap time. They go potty, I change a diaper.I tuck them in only to come out and hear them talking. Pretty soon they have opened their door and usually Adelle sends M out wave at me first. As if I didn't hear them coming....
Rather then closing the door and letting them do whatever I have gone in and laid down with them and not long after that they are both out. The fight is over and we've both won. They got mom to lay down with them and I got them to sleep. Everyone is happy. The down part is that on two different days this whole process has taken so long that I end up having to wake them up an hour later to go get Brax from school. So this party is not fun and makes the nap process more frustrating.

So today I have been mentally preparing myself for nap. After lunch we did the whole routine, I laid them down and came out to call a friend and do the dishes. As I am on the phone they come out and park it on the couch. The next thing I hear is Dora singing in Spanish and I see them both happily on their bums in front of the screen. I ignored it at first because I was on the phone talking about serious, important, stuff (ha), but then the call ended and I turned off the tv and sent them back to bed. Adelle complied but Emmett didn't. I put him in bed next to his sis and he cried and I walked out. He wasn't really crying hard, just whining and moaning and making extremely weird noises that you only make when you are tired. I figured it would last a moment and then he would be out.

The next thing I know I hear the door open but no footsteps. I listen more carefully. Still nothing. I stop what I am doing to hear a small little voice whisper, "mom." It's cute to my ears so I wait to see if it will sound again. Same thing, "mom." Nothing else. I walk down the hall to find M standing right outside his door. I kneel down to his level and he smiles. I ask him what he needs and he understands every word. Then he replies, "mom, um... and then without another word, almost as if he didn't know how to say it, he wraps me in his little arms in a tender squeeze. If I could finish the sentence for him I would assume it was, "mom, um, I just needed a hug." It was so sweet. His little voice, his little, "um," the fact that he was being a little defiant and sneaky, but not, at the same time. I asked him if he wanted mom to lay down in his bed with him and he said yes. Mind you Adelle is totally asleep already, same room, same bed. So I laid down with Emmett. At first he was rubbing my face gently and whispering for me to shhhhhh. Then when he realized I wasn't going to budge he held onto my finger and was asleep a couple minutes after that.

It's been a rough go, but it was a sweet moment. One I want to remember. One that I know will not always be relevant. I am constantly reminded when I step outside to voices of children playing at the school across the street. There is a little squeal over there that is familiar to me. One that is playing football with kids much bigger than him. One that is hearing new words and being exposed to new ideas. One that is no longer home during the day safe in the comfort of my embrace.

We will overcome this whole nap thing. They will get it. It will work. I will have time to myself to revamp. One day it will all work itself out. Today, thanks to a sweet little whisper, I will lovingly meet this simple desire of my babe.