So Precious

My two daughters had a babysitting job last night, but the eldest got sick so I stepped in to help. My job was to put the babies to bed.

First remark about the experience: I have never seen a baby go to bed as easily as these two did. I changed their diapers, put on their pjs, turned on the sound machine and lay them down. After I turned off the light and shut the door, they went right to sleep. Amazing. The older boy went to sleep easily, too. This mama knows how to train her children.

Second remark about the experience: babies are just precious.

Even when he spit up on me, he was precious.  Even when his brother filled his diaper with poop, he was precious. The tiny little fingers . . . the tiny little pjs . . . the tiny little diapers . . . it's been a long time since I held a tiny one and you forget just how tiny they are.

Now, I'm not kidding myself: I remember the screaming and fussing, too. I remember the times when I loved my kids but I couldn't stand another moment in the room with them that day. Parenthood is hard sometimes.

But the precious tiny little fingers!

It's October, and even though it doesn't feel anything like fall here in Texas (sigh! I miss fall . . . ), Halloween stuff is out in the stores and in a few people's lawns. I am not a fan of Halloween, in general, for many reasons. But I have found myself, in the past couple weeks, having an urge to watch an old videotape we have stored away in the fall decorations:

"Elmo Says Boo."

Yep. I am dying to watch a Sesame Street Halloween video. Something about the memory of that video makes me feel serene and peaceful and happy. When the music from that show runs through my mind, I feel preciousness surrounding me. And for a moment, I long for the preciousness.

I have friends who would tell me that this is God's way of telling me I need more children. I doubt that. I think this is God's way of preparing me to have grandbabies. Precious tiny little grandbabies. Not quite yet . . . but they'll be here before I know it.

And I'm going to sit them down beside me to watch "Elmo Says Boo."