Flashback

During the wee hours of Sunday, 4 a.m. to be precise, I had a moment.

A moment that held me captive by its sweetness and softened the rough edges of my heart.

At 3 months old, Cooper was having his first sleepover with Grandpa & Grandma. He's sleeping remarkably well at nights, his folks tell me, with an 8 hour stretch becoming the norm. When I put him to bed at 10 p.m. I sent a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening, asking that Cooper would sleep long and hard that night.

I heard Cooper stirring around 4 am and took him into the next room to change his diaper before fixing his bottle. Still half asleep, he was cuddly and warm. While he lay stretching and awakening with soft baby noises, I began quietly murmuring nonsensical grandma talk. He stopped his squirming, looked me straight in the eye, shyly smiled and gurgled softly. Such a sweet hello...

It catapulted me back nearly 26 years ago when I was an exhausted mother of a fussy infant and busy 2 year old. Nick would only sleep for 2 hours at a time before waking up to feed. Nearly incoherent with sleep deprivation I would drag my tired self out of bed to once again change & nurse my baby.

But, in those wee hours of the morning, when I was groggy and disoriented, my baby would gift me with a sweet, shy smile and a soft coo. Happy to see my face. Content with the closeness we shared. He needed me. The sweetness of those moments lessened the agony of those nightly feedings.

Cooper reawakened the memories of those tender moments shared years ago. Love was communicated between two people, one an infant, the other an adult.

Love given.
Love received.
Love in action.