Sweetness

Dear Nate,
One day this last week, Mama didn't get out the door to work until you and Daddy were leaving.  You walked out the garage door with Daddy.  I heard the door close as I gathered my bags.  Then I heard the garage door open again.

When I looked up, there was your sweet face poking around the door.  You said, "Hey, Mama... jew wanna go wit me?", inviting me to come with you today and to play with you.

You sweet, sweet boy.  There's nothing Mama would like more than to play with you all day.  Sometimes things don't work out the way we want.  (If you've read this blog - A LOT OF TIMES things don't work out the way we want!)

I love to snuggle with you at night and in the morning.  Sometimes we talk about what animals you like and what color they are and where they live.  We play a game where I ask you what color something is and then you point at something (in the dark room) and ask Mama, "what color dat?" and Mama has to guess what you're pointing at and tell you what color it is.

You get your colors correct about 86.5% of the time now.  It's so fun to see you learning and comfortable with your new knowledge.

In Haiti, as soon as it was dark all the children were expected to go to sleep.  (I typed "go to bed" and then had to correct myself.  There were 68 children in that tiny little house and only 3 bunk beds.  I think you slept on the tile most of the time.  I don't think you'll ever remember, so I'll never know for sure what you went through.)

Anyway, the time has changed and it gets darker now.  The first time you realized that it was pretty much "nite-nite" when Mama picked you up from the sitter's, you were very concerned.

You said, "Mama, it nite-nite?"

And I said, 'It's nightTIME.  It's dark, isn't it?"

And you said, "Mama, Nathan not go nite-nite.  Nathan not.  Nathan NOT go nite-nite."

I tried not to laugh as I explained that it wasn't time for nite-nite, but the sun had gone to sleep.  It was, after all, only 5:30 and we still had to go home and eat and play and read books.

You were mollified.

And then Mama remembered what the nite-nite meant for you in Haiti.  I was grateful again that I'll be the one to tuck you in from now until.... well... until you no longer want your Mama to tuck you in.

Maybe we can put that off until you're 25 or so.... what do you think?

I love you, Sweetness.
Mama