Today Peter asked to take a nap with Emma and me. This is rare now days. Usually he is content to play quietly and not so quietly while I put Emma down for a nap and catch a few winks myself.
“I want you to cuddle me,” he said as he slid under the blanket with us.
“Soon, after Emma is asleep,” I told him.
He kept peeking over my shoulder to see if Emma was asleep yet. Once when she was just drifting off he declared that she was asleep. Oh no, she was awake and I wondered if she would drift off again. She did and I finally turned over and slipped my arm under his head. He curled his little body into a ball to fit in the curve of mine, his head on my chest. Emma lay snuggled up against my back. I was trapped in the most wonderful way.
I love these quiet afternoon naps with my little ones. Years ago I decided that naps were essential for my happiness and for theirs. We call it quiet time around here and it is almost sacred. When someone asks me to do something in the afternoon I almost panic. ”What about naps!”
I have napped with every one of my children. With each of them I loved having their head on my chest and hearing their breathing slow down as they slip into sleep. Peter heads off to Kindergarten next year so I know these afternoons with him are numbered. That is one of the reasons I cherish this time with him. But the main reason is that when I have little bodies cuddled up against mine I feel tremendous love for them. I forget their teasing, their messes and all the other things that annoy me. I only remember that they are mine and that I adore them, heart and soul.
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