Tonight

The tick-tock of the clock on the wall and the ocean sounds from the noisemaker fill the room.  Steven is out hunting tonight and the dogs are barking to remind me they need to be fed.  Olen Ray just finished nursing and tonight he has fallen asleep in my arms.  Most nights he wiggles and squirms "asking" to be placed in his crib so he can get comfortable to sleep for the night.  I move him to my shoulder to get out the air bubbles and I smell milk on his breath.  The dishes in the sink have piled up from the weekend and need to be washed.  Lunches need to be made and the car packed for work tomorrow.  I turn my face and feel the softness of his cheeks as I kiss him.  Tonight I will sit and enjoy this moment just a little longer.  Reflections of the day fill my mind: his great smiles, scooting across the floor, napping with my baby after a morning at Ms. Patty's house.  I did get some work done this morning and his diapers are still on the line; I am sure they are dry now.  Images of his happy face when I picked him up from Ms. Patty's flash in my mind.  I rock, rock, rock my baby.  He reaches for my hand and holds onto my fingers.  Looking down, I see the corners of his mouth curve into a smile, showing me he has truly fallen into a deep sleep.  These smiles I don't see much anymore, so I look at him and watch the smile come and go as he sleeps.  I think of the all the times I have sat in this chair, the one from Steven's Nana, in his nursery watching him sleep.  There were times when I would have given anything to be able to put him down for just a few minutes. Those moments seem so long ago, those sleepless nights so far away.  Will I have this opportunity much longer?  My eyelids are getting heavy and I feel the need to put him down so I can everything done before bed.  Not tonight though, I will just loose a little sleep to enjoy this moment;  enjoy this little baby God has given us, this little baby growing rapidly into a boy, this little baby that brings us unmeasurable joy each day.