on motherhood // peeking in

my littlest has claimed his stake during afternoon nap time.  perhaps it's the ability to spread his ever-growing newborn limbs if he so desires, or maybe it's his inherited infatuation for crisp white sheets?  regardless of what draws him to our bed between the mid-afternoon hours when the sun is at its highest, there is one thing i do know for sure, peeking in on him while he sleeps is my favorite.  i love watching that belly of his rise and fall.  i love the perfect placement of his chubby hands and fingers.  those pouty lips.  and the way one of his legs folds over the other.  

sometimes i get so overwhelmed during the day taking care of two young babes.  being a mom is hard work, and my patience is tested more times than i can count.  but when i watch my babies sleep, i see them in all of their unabashed innocence.  so vulnerable and calm.  it is then that this thought washes over me: these little sponges of mine are learning how to be big people in this scary overwhelming world and i, their mama, am their comfort.  they are doing the best they can with what they've got, and sometimes they have hard days, too.  and, gosh, they are only little for so long.  

...and then that stress, it melts pretty quickly.