Sweet surrender

What is it about that moment? That time when a child’s eyelids become heavy as bricks and they flit and flutter with longer and longer blinks until they finally close. Sleep is upon them and they look like angels. For me that moment swells my heart with love.

I lay down with Kyle for a few minutes when he takes his nap each afternoon and when he goes to bed at night. At naptime he falls asleep within minutes, and this is the time when I get to watch his mile-long lashes fight to stay up and then give in. I lay there wondering what it is about the moment that makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I’m not sure what it is, but it hits me each and every time.

Nighttime is different because Kyle takes longer to wind down. I set a kitchen timer for five minutes and he knows I leave when it dings. He talks to me during this time, telling me silly things, or about his day. And while I don’t get to watch that eyelid dance toward slumber, I enjoy this time just as much.

Well, almost as much. It's very close, but there’s just something that tugs at my heart during that sweet surrender to sleep.