7.12.11

"Do you mind if I take a quick nap?"  I asked my husband, home from a morning of summer school, after lunch. 

"Not at all."

I snuck away to our bedroom and closed the door.  One minute later, the door opened.

"I can snuggle you, mom?" 

"Of course you can snuggle me.  I love to snuggle." 

Then a thought...soon it is this little one's naptime.  "Do you want to take a nap on Mommy's bed?"

He did.

So I quickly grabbed his blankie and snuggled him in next to me.  We closed our eyes.  He started to snicker.  I thought to myself.  If I'm going to get him to sleep, I'm going to need to keep my composure.  I peeked one eye open and reminded him to close his.  After a very short moment of silence, a car drove across my face and parked on my forehead.  More snickering from him. Nothing from me.  The car disappeared.  And then returned.  And then disappeared.  Then two legs flew up into the air and plopped back down.  The bed wiggled.  He giggled.  I kept as still as a statue. 

Two fingers walked up my arm and poked me in the nostril.  He could barely contain his laughter.  I opened my eyes and looked directly into his.  He's waiting for my response.  And in that moment I thought I can do one of two things:  I can dial up my tone and tell him firmly that it is time to sleep - and this day will be like any other OR  I can enter in to this silliness and make today a day to remember.

I raised my hand all the way above him, still locked in his gaze.  The corner of my mouth started a smile that gave my intentions away.  He tried in vain to escape the tickle monster.  For fifteen minutes we giggled together.  It was the most fun we've had  in awhile - and it almost didn't happen.

I'm glad it did.