You’re very pretty, mommy… He said as he stroked my face. We were both squeezed onto his toddler bed and he had snuggled up against me. I could feel his breath against my face as my fingers trailed through his blonde hair. My little boy is four… no longer a baby. I love you all the way up to heaven and back again, mommy. Everything about his face is handsome to me and I hope all mothers feel that way about their sons. I love his wide little nose and his big blue eyes. I love his eyelashes and his blonde eyebrows. I love his little ears and I love the way the corners of his mouth curl up when he smiles. I know I often gush about his sweetness, but it flowed over me again tonight how lucky I am to have him in my life.

And as I leaned over to kiss C goodnight she smiled at me that sweet little smile that only she can give. Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck and she held on for a moment. Goodnight Mommy! she said and her arms relaxed as I pulled away.

And Baby E played patty-cake with me tonight… He stared at my mouth as I sang the song, concentrating on my lips as I spoke. At the end of the song he would grab my hands and start hitting them together, a not so subtle hint that we should do it again. As I laid him in bed tonight I pulled the covers over his head and pretended he disappeared. The giggling under the covers was replaced with full out laughter as I pulled back the blanket to discover him there. That little tradition tends to ease the transition to bedtime.

This evening, as my children sleep in their beds I am once again reminded that I am a very blessed woman.