To say that my previous two nights had been hellish is the understatement of the year. Todd was getting worried and asked me to get some sleep when we went to bed on Saturday night. As if I could control that! HA! He was a chronic insomniac...he should understand how ridiculous that statement was.
He was on Nina duty again. It was good that they were together. Nina drew volumes of strength from her daddy and Todd's heart swelled with pride in knowing so. I went to bed with great trepidation. I really felt weak, weaker than ever. I nuzzled up close to Teddy and he whispered how much he loved me. He then triple-checked that it wasn't going to be a school day because he really wanted to sleep in :) Silently I prayed for his heart, that God would never cease building protection around it. Then.....I fell asleep.
I slept for 8 consecutive hours!! What a gift from Heaven above! Not only did I sleep but I woke up to the best sound a mother could ever ask for....her daughter's laughter! Nina wasn't just laughing, she was giggling, the deep belly giggle that now sends shivers up our spins when we hear it because we finally recognize how precious it is! How many other times in the past 5 years has she giggled that way and we meandered past this most holy of gifts simply because we foolishly thought we had it forever! Howe easily we convince ourselves that what we have this very moment will still be there when we return. How foolish, how vain, how self-serving! Carpe diem..."seize the day"....no it should be "seize the moment"!! Who knows if we even have a day, but moments...they are ever present.
Nina's energy had reached an all time high since we had returned from Cedars. As I lay in bed upstairs, I heard her incessantly chatting with her father, primarily related to breakfast requests. I could hear Todd performing....no father can make his children laugh like Todd. When I first became pregnant with Teddy (we didn't know it was a boy until his birth) I prayed for a little boy that looked like Todd and had his personality. Boy oh boy did I ever get my prayer! Funny how God takes a very, VERY long time to answer most things in life and with others the response is instantaneous!! I guess I should have provided the Maker with an outlined list of specific personality traits I wanted....instead I got the whole shebang :) All joking aside, Teddy is Todd, right down to his comedic performances. Both reserve those for the privacy of their small circle of friends and family. Most recently, both had applied all diligence in this department solely for Queen Nina's benefit. And she loved every tidbit!
I lay in bed for another hour, just listening and savoring the sweet sounds dancing up the stairs and into my ears. Todd sounded so happy! I didn't want to interfere with those moments. He needed to have some of just him and Nina. I knew each happy moment I had with her was locked away into my memory forever. Then, Mr. Theodore awoke and proclaimed that we should get up and get going! The things that this boy says are hilarious. I have no idea where he gets this stuff....it's like he's an 80 year old man trapped in the body of an almost 8 year old boy. I cannot wait to see what he does with his life! Whatever it will be, it will be interesting!
Teddy and I lazily made our way downstairs and joined the rest of the family, Mel & Max too, on the living room mattress. It was the first time since August 18th that the four (okay six if you count the dog and cat) of us had been alone together. Don't get me wrong, we loved all the company and support but there was something special, revitalizing and reassuring to just be alone as our own little unit! Todd fed us all a fabulous breakfast of pancakes, strawberries and whipped cream. Nobody makes breakfast like Todd!
We literally spent the rest of the day lounging around. Neighbor friends came in and out, we ran a few tiny errands, watched movies, and ate a lot. Most importantly we just did our regular Sunday family routine...relaxing! Never had the mundane, lazy nothings of a Sunday felt more special. Todd read the paper (which is an all day process in our household), while I looked through magazines with Nina. Nothing particularly special....but on the same token everything was more special than ever!!! Before bed, Todd asked Teddy to pray for us. It was short and to the point:
"Thank you dear Jesus for such a good day, for all the stuff, for having fun, for all the good food. Amen."
Sometimes that's all that has to be said!
"AMEN"!
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