Every night as I tuck the kids into bed and go through the whole bedtime routine (which went horribly wrong last night, by the way) I am struck by two things: the first is how good soft, warm little bodies feel in cotton jammies. Not the soft, fleece jammies (although those are so nice to wear), but the cotton jammies that are thicker than in the summertime, but not too thick. After a kid has had them on for a few minutes, they heat right up and get really soft. So you have soft, warm little bodies in soft, warm little jammies. Really, there is nothing better.
But then after you put the soft, warm little bodies in bed, read them books, get them vitamins, water, pacifiers, and check on them at least five times, they usually (eventually) fall asleep. And then you get the second thing: how good the even, sleepy breathing of kids and babies sounds. When babies are little, and you check on them every five minutes, that sound is so reassuring. And when babies turn into toddlers, and going to bed is an exhausting, tenuous venture, that sound is so relaxing. And I can never help but put my hand on the back or stomach of the soft, warm body, and listen to it breathe as I feel the chest rise and fall. And I thank God that I am a mommy, their mommy, as I do this every single night.
