A Moment to Reflect

Bethie will be a year old one month and one day from today. This has been the most challenging, rewarding, and wonderful year of our lives, and one for which I am utterly grateful. Bethie is a cheerful, social little girl who smiles and talks to everyone who will look at her. She is easy to take care of, easy to handle, and easy to love. Jeff and I have been so blessed, but sometimes I get so caught up in schedules and routines and wondering whether she's eating enough or sleeping enough or if she's on target with other kids her age, and I forget to be grateful. I forget to stop and really look at this precious little angel, and I forget how difficult it was to get her, and how I was sure Jeff and I would be childless forever.

Our condo is small and she sleeps in the dining room, but because she is so curious about everything around her, she can no longer sleep in her crib if Jeff and I are awake, no matter how quiet we are. So, she and I lay in our bed til she falls asleep, then I surround her with pillows, make sure I can see her on the monitor, and go on about my day. We do this the same way every day, at every nap time. After all, I can tell you first hand what happens to my happy, cheerful little imp when she gets overly tired, and it isn't a whole lot of fun. We were taking our nap today, and as usual, I was laying next to Bethie pretending to sleep so that she would follow suit. Instead of sleeping, she wanted to poke my eyes. I moved her hands away a few times, and then I happened to look at her. She was smiling as she poked me, and it hit me all at once just how blessed we are, and what a miracle she is. Instead of napping, I pretended to eat her fingers and kissed her neck til she giggled so hard she couldn't breathe. I traced her cheeks and her nose, and looked into those big, blue eyes. I kissed every inch of her face til she giggled some more, and then we got up to play. I thank God so much for that small reminder of how blessed I am, and even when we are awake at some late hour with a cranky, tired, almost-one-year-old, I will thank God for every second I have with her.