My five year old has those working ears. Those ears that might be playing a game on the iPad, but are also listening to conversation at the kitchen table about the NATO Summit. Her ears can discern the sense of worry in her grandmother's voice so much so that when I put her to bed we have this conversation:
Goose: Mom, when is it coming?
Mom: When is what coming?
Goose: The tornado that Grandma is worried about?
Mom: It isn't a tornado. Its called NATO.
Goose: It sounds like bad weather to me.
Mom: No, its a meeting of the Presidents of the world. It has nothing to do with strong wind.
Goose: Thank goodness!
The cuteness followed me to the grocery store yesterday for a moment. My two year old son, Mister, strutted his stuff carrying his sister's purse over his shoulder, elbow pointed to the sky to keep it up with the other hand on his hip the entire walk through the parking lot. Unfortunately, his cuteness quickly turned to crank when he realized we were grocery shopping. His least favorite chore. If he were in charge at the store, we'd all run around at top speed stopping momentarily only to buy "tweets". I've made it a habit to bribe my children at Mejier. If they behave, I buy them candy. Its a terrible habit, I know. Though, it is the least of my worries at the grocery store with three kids.
The littlest bambino in my house is a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. He smiles, he flirts with his little blue eyes, he cuddles and claws. He nuzzles into my shoulder and smears snot from the edge of my sleeve to my neck. He is, right now, a mama's boy. He seems attached to my hip at all waking moments. I believe its another one of those "bad habits" I've fostered, like buying them candy. I sleep with him still. GASP! No, not that. He's nine months old! I sleep with him because he shares a room with his older brother and I don't want the whole house to wake up. I sleep with him because I am not going to have another baby to sleep with and it feels good to snuggle a baby. I sleep with him because I'm too lazy at 1 a.m. to rock him back to sleep, so I swoop him up into my arms and he nuzzles into my shoulder and I fall in love a little bit more and then we sleep very well for several hours.
Sometimes I beat myself up about the baby's sleep. I think, "I'll get him in his crib all night! I'll solve this problem." The truth is, I don't really think its that bad of a problem to have. Maybe I'm not sleeping great - but I'm not going to sleep great for eighteen years as far as I see it, so why worry about this now?
The fact is this- I fall asleep next to cute, I wake up next to cute, and I spend my days surrounded by cute. The worry about bad habits is not on my radar today.
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