A Mother’s Lullaby

Photo from Mae’s Newborn Photo Shoot with Mary Margaret Smith

We have our bedtime routine
And I wonder if you’ve waited for this moment all day.

You’re talkative and engaging—you laugh and cry and whine and cheer
All day long it’s a give-and-take figuring out exactly what you want or need.
But in our quiet nighttime moment, you give in, and it all ceases
And I think to myself that you’ve waited for this moment all day.

We put on your lotion which you try to eat.
We change your diaper, a process which you despise.
We put on pj’s—always struggling to get your little arms and hands through the sleeves.
We brush your hair and your mouth full of teeth
Signaling we’re almost to the moment for which you’ve waited all day.

You get a kiss and energetic hug from brother
An embrace and prayer from Daddy
And then into my arms for the moment you’ve waited for all day.

We walk into your room, the steady roar of the sound machine welcoming us
I hold you upright, just how you like, your head help up, very aware
And sometimes even still a little fussy as you give your last bit of energy to the day.
The door is pulled to
Your pacie is in your mouth
And I walk over to turn out the light.
The moment is now.

Your body melts as you relax heavily into my arms
You lay your head in your favorite spot just under my chin
Resting in that place near my neck and collarbone.
You breathe easily and hum with me as I sway and sing,

“You are my sunshine
You’re Momma’s sunshine
You make me happy in every way
You’ll never know, Mae,
How much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine girl away.”

I feel the warmth of you,
The tender way you’ve let the day go and embraced the night
I hold you and sway
hold you and sway
hold you and sway
and in that quiet, dark moment—our moment—I realize
that I, too, have waited for this moment all day.