I don’t even know how to put into words how I feel about my guest blogger this week. I am absolutely in love with Christine Carter of The Mom Café. She is the very person that proved to me that internet friendships do exist. We have laughed together, prayed together, and she has shown me true friendship- and I’ve never even met her. Her sweet spirit is exuded through her words and her blog is a wonderful place of encouragement and kindness. She is truly a blessing to me and I’m so proud to have her words on my blog today. Please read her precious story that I’m sure will hit home with you as it did with me- and then visit her blog here. You’ll be so glad that you did.
Mommy Come Love On Me!
“MOMMY! Are you COMING?”
As I scurry around the kitchen putting this away and that, trying to tightly tuck away the day’s mess…
I hear his cry.
“Mommy! Come love on me!!”
“I am coming!!!” I respond with exasperation.
“MOMMY!!!! Where ARE you?!!?”
My husband once again reminds me he is waiting…
I know this. He always yells for me, and then he waits for me. He needs me.
All of me.
Now.
I need to just STOP what I am frantically trying to finish, and seal the day off with our traditional “good night”. I run upstairs to find his arms open wide while his tiny body lies underneath the layers of blankets, nestled in with his arms stretching out for his mother’s love.
“There you are mommy!! Come love on me NOW!!”
“Of course I’m here! I always come, don’t you know that honey?”
“Yeah, but I was waiting. You have to love on me or I can’t go to sleep.”
I climb on top of my baby boy, smothering him with kisses and squeezes that he so desperately needs. I snuggle closer, tighter in… as he reaches his scrawny arms around my neck, giggling and soaking in my passionate and sometimes suffocating breath of my heart. I fall beside him and pull him so close that there is no part of my body that doesn’t engulf his. My boy oozes with light, in my maternal embrace.
“Rub my back? Kiss me more! Could you stay for a long time, Mommy?”
Oh, how I wish I could sweet boy. I want to stay like this, locked together forever. I want to linger here, in this moment until you don’t want me near you- Those days that lie ahead, when you have grown with discomfort in my presence, my touch, my love.”
How long do I have? How many days do I count, until his tiny arms won’t reach for me? What night will come, when I don’t hear his sweet innocent voice beckoning for my love? When does this love affair stop? Will he push me away and tell me I’m gross? Will he smell of teenage odor and lock me out behind his bedroom doors? Do I truly grasp the reality of this time pushing through these beautiful “goodnights”?
Oh, I beg for this moment to never pass into the next…
Because I know where it leads.
Slowly, assuredly… away.
Tonight, my baby needs me to wrap my arms around him and hold him tight. Linger in his precious presence and pour my love on him, as he drinks it up with a desperate need for more.
I will savor this moment. This baby of mine that longs for my love and goodnight kisses… calling out my name in search of my heart. A child with an urgent need only quenched by his mama.
I already beg for more time.
As it drifts away from me… uncontrollably and dreadfully so.
I won’t ever make him wait again.
It’s so surreal to be over here… Oh, how I love how God works!! You have been one of my favorite people for so long- and now here we are. I am SO blessed by you. How I love our friendship!!!
Oh can I relate to this post or what? It’s always a balance between trying to get everything done that needs doing and soaking in every possible moment of their precious childhood. It goes way too fast and so often I want to just freeze time!!
Yep. You nailed it all in two sentences, Angela!! I love that you totally get it!
Chris – this is lovely as always – and I am with you 100% so long as my son asks for a hug or a cuddle, I will give it to him – in a timely manner – because I need to wring out every ounce of every one of there moments.
I hate that I sometimes push it back further and further to get ‘things done’… How DARE I take it for granted? Ugh.
Oh, yes!! Because then they turn into teenagers and no matter how sweet they are the days of laying down beside them will be over. Now we show love by pull-up contests or something….:)
Oh Kim- you totally just gave me a new insight to what is ahead of me!! Pull up contests will SO not be an avenue for my love!!! LOL Good Lord- I will be so old, perhaps he will pull ME up- just to show me how much he loves me?
I literally had a moment like this last night with Lily (who is our mushier of our two girls) and I too just took it all in and enjoyed every moment while I can, because I know this too shall pass and she will grow up in a blink of an eye, but don’t want to miss it while I can now! 🙂
Sigh…. yes. My 8 year old has been going through a growth spurt, and I can’t even recognize my little baby anymore already. I just stare at him and then scream “STOP GROWING!!!” He laughs loud… 😉
My daughter is 27 and with a little boy of her own — we still cuddle and now i can cuddle her little guy as well. The wonderful circle of life. Thank you for a warm and loving post and thank God for unending love
I talk to my daughter about those future moments… I honestly can’t WAIT for the circle of life to spin it’s miracle over here. 🙂
I can’t admit that snuggling and loving on my kids will go away….I am going to stay in true denial of that because I just can’t imagine that part of my life going away…the daily loving on them with physical affection that brings the most joy. I pray I can still wrap my arms around my boys and feel their not so scrawny anymore arms around me in years to come still asking me if I can stay with them longer…..doesn’t hurt to dream! Miss that loving adorable Cade!
I know sis… it’s a hard reality to face. I tend to not look at it often, for fear of totally falling apart!! I think I believe that Cade will ALWAYS want to snuggle and love on each other- because of his precious heart. I know, I know… things change. Sigh….
LOVE this! My Kens still wants a snuggle but I know I don’t have much longer, maybe I do, she’s such a love bug with a big heart, maybe she will always want to, she’s 10, still tells everyone she’s going to live with us on the farm forever….lol, I’m good with that! 🙂
I think your Kens and My Cass would get along SO WELL!!! I just LOVE that she wants to stay on the farm with you forever!! Oh, my heart! SO precious…
Ack! He’s so beautiful!
And this hits me so hard. Yes, Des is only one but even one is so different from the smushy baby stage. He runs away from me at every turn! Because he can.
And he always runs back.
I wonder how long I’ve got.
xoxo.
I wonder too, my friend. Can you imagine being at their wedding? Oh, I just can’t go there. Hold on to that Des!!! Our time is already running out…
Oh, I love this!! My little one is like that – “Just one more hug Mommy!” I often sigh in exasperation, thinking about all the thing I need to do. I need to remember that there will come a time when I am the one who needs just one more hug and she is the one rushing of to do something else! 🙂
I love that you get this, Lisa. I love that I am not alone in that struggle at night that is ridiculous when you think of it. Lets both never make them wait again!
You made me cry, Chris. Last night I was tucking in my boy – my baby who will probably be taller than me within the month – and he asked me to stay a little longer. I would have stayed forever.
AW!!!!!! Now YOU made ME cry Dana!! Oh gosh, that is just so precious… I can only hope that my boy asks me too, when he grows up.
HEART SQUEEZE! omg….so sweet. Hugging my little one the second I’m done typing this….
I know… it is probably the breath of every mother’s heart. Hug, embrace, grab onto that little one now! I need to go do the same…
Love this so much! I always talk to my boys each night before they go to bed in their separate rooms. We cuddle, and I get to hear what’s on their minds. While Biz won’t kiss me (he’s been against kissing girls since age 4), he will hug and cuddle. I’ll take whatever I can get for as long as I can!
Oh, now I can just picture you cuddling and talking to your precious Biz at night- I just love that picture in my mind!! TOO cute is has been against kissing girls since 4!! OHmygosh, adorable. 🙂
Holy cow – just had a night like this with Kidzilla recently. You’re right – don’t make them wait. Run.
YES!! I just cringe when I think of all the nights I kept him waiting… as I yelled up “HOLD ON!!” I love that Lisa….
RUN!
This is just what I needed to hear! My girl is SIXTEEN now! And she still calls me to come love on her. How lucky am I? I will not make her wait again. I will make the dirty dishes wait. Thank you. I loved this. It was heartfelt and beautifully written!
Oh your comments just means the WORLD to me, Fancy Ranci!! Oh, how I dare dream that my girl AND my boy do the same at that age. You are one BLESSED MAMA!!
Oh how I can imagine that! I can’t stand the thought of the last night when my littlest one wants my cuddle love. And it is approaching…sigh.
Awww…that is so sweet. My youngest (almost 13) still hugs me and tells me he loves me and I absolutely love that he does that. The time goes way too fast!
Yes Susannah time flies. It seems like only yesterday that mine were small. Now I have greatgrands. Love them to the moon.
Sooo true! I just got the blues recently when I was thinking about it. Then I promised myself to soak up those moments and not think about the future. Thank you for a wonderful post!