Happy

During our last trip to the library, Ladybug borrowed a board book that paired pictures of babies with words to describe them. A baby speckled with mud was dirty. A baby curled up with his eyes closed was sleeping. Another one with a big toothless grin was happy. That last image stuck with Ladybug, and she would flip through the pages of the book until she found it. She’d point to the picture, smile and say, “Happy!”

Since then, “happy” makes a frequent appearance in Ladybug’s vocabulary. Whenever we’re coloring or kicking a ball around or doing any other activity she enjoys, Ladybug will stop, hug my legs and say, “Happy!”

Me, too, I’m happy. I was thinking of that as I lay in bed last night, unable to fall asleep. As weird as it sounds, I couldn’t wait for morning to come and Ladybug to wake up. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, except that I already knew what my present was. She was wrapped in footed pajamas and snoring softly in the next room.

I’d laugh as I lay in the dark thinking over the day: Ladybug standing in the kitchen, pointing at the bowl of fruit on the counter and asking for a “nana.” Holding her arm straight up in the air so her purse didn’t fall off her shoulder. Picking “apples” off the tomato plants. Exclaiming “PU!” as she took off her shoes and socks for her nap. Me finally figuring out that “monkey” was her way of asking for her blankie.

I guess I’m feeling a bit sentimental about all this as my four-month anniversary of becoming a stay-at-home mom approaches. Now that I’ve experienced Ladybug around the clock, I wonder how I ever found the mental strength to return to work after maternity leave.

I’m happy I had the opportunity to become a stay-at-home mom. Happy and grateful.

To share your thoughts and to read other comments, click HERE.