dear boys

I must have forgotten to tell you something. Your daddy and I decided long before we had children that our bed would only be for us. We never intended to share it with you. It's not that we don't love you. There are two main reasons.

Reason #1- Mommas and Daddys need their own bed.

Reason #2- Little boys need their own bed.

Of course, we have strayed from that rule from time to time. Jack, you were the first to steer us off course. When you came to our house, you left an orphanage, where you shared a room with 16 other sweet little orphans. I'm sure your new bed was just a little scary, and we felt sorry for you. In an effort to stick to our rule, we moved your mattress into our floor and you slept peacefully for a while until you were finally ready to move into your room.

And then we moved. We once again gave into our convictions, and you found a home on our floor for the second time. It didn't take long and you were ready to move up upstairs all alone, and we rarely see you anymore wrapped up in our sheets.

Then along came Max. We were determined to keep you in your bed. And we were pretty successful. You slept in a little cradle in our room for a few months, but we quickly moved you into your own bed, where you counted sheep each and every night. But that all changed one day. I'm not sure if you were scared, lonely, or just stubborn, but your bed became a nightmare for you (and us!) To keep us both sane, we allowed you to sleep in our bed for a few weeks.

But one night, you helped us create a Plan B. We were putting you both to bed, and Max crawled up on the pillow beside his big brother and demanded to sleep there. And you still remain there almost a year later. I think you both enjoy the company, and even though we have a bedroom for each of you, it makes me smile that you each drift off to sleep together each night in the same sheets, often times, on the same pillow!

However, there are those occasional nights that things don't go as planned. Max, you often cry early in the morning, and in an effort to get a few hours of extra sleep, we don't mind bringing you downstairs to snuggle until morning. But Jack, your visits are becoming few and far between. You are much braver now, and you don't seem to need our bedtime comfort as often.

But last night was an exception to all of our rules. Max aroused us early in the morning with his tears after fighting a fever for the last few nights. So, we quickly brought him to our room, where he wedged his little body under his daddy. I am convinced you couldn't sleep without touching another human body. And at 7, I was forced out of bed from lack of space to sleep comfortably. As I prepared to quietly wiggle out of the covers, I felt something I don't often feel... I felt long, boney legs in my back. And as I cleared my eyes to start my day, I saw a sight I don't often see... My sweet little Jack was curled in close to my body. And the two other boys in my life were close by on the other half of the bed.

Since I was already up, I had to grab my camera and capture this moment. I know these times are fading fast. In just a few short years, neither of you will be standing by my bed pleading to jump in and snuggle. I know I will soon forget the feel of your breath blowing repeatedly on my face while you sleep as close to me as possible. And I'll fail to recall the feel of your sweaty little body as I pry it off of mine as I sneak out of the bed.

So as much as I still believe in "the no children in our bed" rule, I loved waking up with you today! Thank you for climbing in and loving me. I hope you don't wait too long before you come again! I love you!

~Momma