(little) Big Kid Snuggles

We all know that babies can be the sweetest snugglers.  Our Aleesia is no exception to that rule and I sometimes just scoop her up for a little extra love and a snuggle.

(such a peaceful sleeper, this one.)

Gianna often asks me, after we have done our bedtime routine (including books, kisses, hugs, answers to 19347 questions, etc.), to just “stay and snuggle wif me mommy”.

Usually I stay in her room for a minute or two and then leave her to do chores around the house, or shower, or sometimes eat dinner myself!  And typically even when I stay a minute longer, she begs me to stay “just a little longer” – to which I usually say “mommy has things to get done before she goes to bed, our time is up for the night”.

I realize this is kind of an asshole answer, as a mom, because her time shouldn’t be UP! But there really are still things that HAVE to get done some days.  Isn’t there?

Having been extra busy lately and feeling a little disconnected from my oldest beauty at times, I have been making more of an effort to enjoy the extra snuggles she requests.  There might come a day when she doesn’t want to snuggle wif me – so I feel like I need to just soak it all up right now as much as I can.

But I have learned something during our extra snuggle time – 1) we both need that time to decompress and reconnect on the simplest level and 2) if I just sit with her for a minute or two extra – she falls asleep SO MUCH FASTER. 

Tonight she asked me to snuggle her, so I wrapped my arm around her as she was snugged into her covers, to which she said “not so tight”.  I loosed my snuggle a bit and started rubbing her back a little.  Each time I stopped, she asked me to keep doing it.  I watched her long eyelashes flutter shut and literally saw her fall asleep.  It was such a sweet memory for me – one I am sure I will remember for a long long time – I am thankful that I stopped what I was doing and forgot about what I thought needed to get done right.now to enjoy that moment with her.

It’s such a simple request “just snuggle wif me, mommy” – I don’t know why I haven’t always done it – but I do know that I am making every effort to honor her request from now on.  What an honor it is to be the mommy to this (little) big kid, who I love with my whole heart.

Life is going to continue to be hectic and we are going to need every second we can get to just reconnect and make sure that she knows nothing is more important than that big kid snuggle.

(a night a few weeks ago when she asked for an extra snuggle. I can’t believe how much I love this sweet face.)