Sneak peek

I love spying on Ladybug. (Hold on; it’s not as bad as it sounds.)

Usually when Ladybug wakes up from a nap, she’ll yell “Mama! Mama! Maaaa-maaaa!” until I come from the other room. But every once in a while, she’ll just play in her crib. When that happens I can hear her babbling to Mr. Bee, Baby Neptune and the baby doll my mom gave her on her first birthday that makes kissing noises and says, “I love you.” So I’ll tiptoe to the door, slowly turn the handle, open it just a crack and watch what she does.

One time I caught her running from one end of the crib to the other, waving her arms and throwing her crib companions on the floor. Another time she was sitting up, her eyes half closed, and looking around her room as if she was confused. She then lay back down and fell asleep.

The other night, Ladybug couldn’t sleep even though it was several hours past her bedtime. So I took her out of her crib and let her play. I closed the door of the nursery and listened as she giggled and banged on her xylophone and pulled blocks and stacking pans off her toddler-level shelves.

Then it got quiet. When you’re a mom to a toddler, you know quiet is never good.

So I tiptoed to the door, opened it a crack and peeked in. There she was sitting on the floor, a life-sized stuffed cat my grandmom made laying against her legs. Ladybug was reading. (OK, she was looking at a book upside down.) But it was enough to calm her down and make her ready for sleep and I couldn’t ask for more.