At the moment of writing this it’s a Sunday at 6:45am and I am sat on the couch with my under 2 toddler fast asleep on my shoulder. My little bug, who is also in a developmental growth spurt, didn’t go to bed until after 10pm last night. Before you judge, yes, we tried everything, but alas the wiggles won. 

Now as I’m relishing in the sweet smell of my child, with a mound of bed head in my face, I will admit my first thought was “ahhh, I have all these things I wanted to get done before you woke up.” Namely, I wanted about 30 minutes to myself and a little time to prepare for the day (like take a shower). 

However, once I had that thought I instead started thinking, “what is better than this”? Sure I could be finishing the planning for our upcoming trip, or I could be sorting through the piles of laundry, or I could be drinking my coffee hot instead of cold (which rarely happens), but instead I’m nuzzled up with this amazing human whose whole world is the love she feels for me, her father, and her many stuffed animals. In my arms and on my shoulder is the powerful love of a mother and child, on display for no one to see and no one to appreciate the exhaustion that it takes to create it. It’s the slow rhythmic breathing of our two bodies, cozied against each other and offering comfort, solace, and regulation, that lets me let go of the to-do list and timetables I was trying to work off of today. Instead I choose to cherish the moment and reflect how much I love my family and how appreciative I am of the life I have. 

Some day I’ll have time to myself, and some day my little one will find something more exciting and comforting than mom, but for now I’ll envelop her in my arms, sip my cold coffee, and just be late to all the things we wanted to do today. It’s worth it.