45 minutes of moments

I have many fabulous moments on any given day. Most of these involve either my tiny Teddy or my husband (when he is home...Skype is a lifesaver but the maker of fabulous moments it is not)...yesterday however, had one of the best forty-five minutes of moments I have ever experienced. I was going to share this as a series of posts, however thought one, perhaps very long one, was appropriate.

I'm not sure about you, but sometimes when I am having the most glorious of times I feel as if I am out of myself and everything slows down...I feel as if I am savouring the seconds to such an extent the experience of them is like a series of memories...whilst I am busy making them! I will try to convey these moments, but am not at all sure I will do them justice...

Teddy has been having ever-shorter afternoon naps of late. The combination of heat (29 degrees plus at the moment) & activity (perfecting his crawling technique too tempting) has meant when he does fall asleep - usually after getting up for a nappy change - it is in a position so uncomfortable he wakes after only half an hour, annoyed at his discomfit*. The moment he wakes & calls out is the beginning of some of my favourite moments to date.

In an effort to encourage more sleep, I take my slightly hysterical baby onto my bed. We lay down and he feeds. I give him a terry square (aka 'spew rag') to cuddle and more days than not, he is back to sleep in seconds. Yesterday was one such day.

He/I slept for fifteen minutes on one breast...he woke so I woke & we changed sides. He stays awake, but very relaxed...gazing at me with big blue eyes. Intently drinking in my face. Cue 'Moment Time Slowed Down'.

For the first time in a long time, Teddy rolled gently away & stayed there...looking at me, staring into my eyes. It was warm, fuzzy, lovely & exceptional. He smiled...lips still full, tongue visible between them. I am not a person who cries lightly (I mainly save it for being so angry I want to explode) but I welled up. We shared this moment for a long, long time. For me, time ceased to exist. I could hear the plasterers working away in the hall...my husband screwing our new kitchen together...but it all just melted away. Tiny Teddy & I were sharing something I will always cherish.

We giggled at each other...I tickled him. We babbled - speaking that special language only babies are privy to. We sang little rhymes...Teddy's stuffed friends played hide and seek behind my legs. He sat on my tummy & kissed my face. He showed no mercy...pulling my hair roughly (I wonder if I will have any left soon...) to place my face exactly where he wanted it to be. He bounced on my middle & played with the tags of each of his toys with one very concentrated finger.

Finally, after our own special eternity, we wandered out to find Papy.

Later, long after the plasterers had left, I commented to Guy: "This is going to sound a bit soppy...but...the forty-five minutes I had with Teddy on the bed were...well...beautiful."

*"Have you tried moving him?" - yes, yes I have. Unlike nighttime, repositioning during a nap ensures a Teddy who wakes then refuses to go back to sleep.