Job Perks

I had plans today. I woke up with every intention of being productive: there were errands to run, muffins to bake, a Christmas card to design. Little Man slept in until 8:15 this morning (heaven!) thanks to a little late night party he threw in his crib with Scout the Dog and Glowie the Worm. After his breakfast of mashed banana and yogurt ("O beebee" = a request for YoBaby yogurt), he brought me his favorite truck book. I never say no to a book, so I settled on the floor to read to him for a few minutes before shower time.

One book turned into several, and a few minutes turned into a few hours. Nothing got done this morning except for good, quality playtime--and it was a golden morning.

We read books about colors, the alphabet, and vehicles. Little Man looooves his trucks, and will point out several of his favorites on the pages when asked. Dump truck, excavator, and school bus are some popular ones. He can also identify wheels and doors. We looked at photo albums and exclaimed over seeing pictures of his own family: "Dada!" He yelled with joy each time he saw a pic of Husband.

We played with light sabers and Star War characters (he brought me the wookie and left Darth Vader on his father's desk chair...not so sure that that means). We made music with our homemade instruments and danced to Disney music. And we played his favorite game of Tackle the Mama until we were both laughing so hard we fell over in a heap. And now he's sleeping soundly on the couch, chubby little fist stuffed in his mouth. And I'm left with a happy feeling, because this morning is what it was all about.

Because one day, it'll be his buddies he wants to play light sabers with, and his teammates he'll be tackling on the football field. One day, my homemade shakers and rattles won't be good enough, and he'll want an electric gutair or a set of drums. And it won't be me he dances around the living with room with--fates willing, it will be someone he loves and loves him back, who he can make his own family with. But until then, I'll soak up every little bit of my baby boy that I can.

Having such a sweet, simple morning with my son makes up for the 3 AM wake up calls and the temper tantrums when I won't let him play with Small Dog's water bowl. It makes up for the long hours of the most full-time job I've ever had--sure, I don't get weekends off or paid vacations but I get mornings like today, and that's a job perk I wouldn't give up for anything.