the day my boys took care of me.

we care for our babies 24/7 without a moments thought. we willingly wake up at all hours of the night to comfort and soothe and feed and nurse back to health. we wake early to start meeting the daily needs of being fed, clothed, played with, taught, and nurtured. the art of taking care of our little ones is natural to us mamas. it is a role that we take pride in. a role we treasure. a role we would not trade for the world.

i woke up around 2:00am on monday morning with the beginnings of an awful stomach bug that would not show signs of leaving until late that afternoon. once it started, i was unable to ever go back to sleep and as the hour of my babies waking started to creep up on me, i began to get incredibly anxious. i could not even sit up without having to head straight to the bathroom, so imagining the simplest tasks of changing diapers, making breakfast, calming disputes, rocking little ones to sleep...all left me somewhat breathless. we don't live near any family, any friends that i would call to help all work outside of the home, and my husband already had plans to leave town for the entire day.  

as the boys woke up and found me on the couch, they were immediately concerned that mama was sick. ricky did as much of the morning routine as he could fit in before heading out the door, and before i knew it, it was just me and my boys...and a stomach bug that would not let up. the boys immediately set about playing quietly around me and would follow me to the bathroom each time, telling me everything would be ok. they constantly told me they would take care of me, that they loved me, and continually made sure i was comfortable. they cuddled with me on the couch, stroked my hair, spoke so very tenderly to not only me, but to each other. they napped with me, made themselves sandwiches for lunch, cleaned the playroom, and entertained tobin. they expected nothing from me, but instead took care of me. without a moments thought.

that night after they were all tucked in bed, ricky and i sat on the couch, catching up on our day. tears filled my eyes as i thought back to every little gesture of love the boys poured out on me. as i told ricky of each little moment, the beauty of it all hit me yet again. we love our children, speak tenderly to them, are gentle and slow to anger, care for every little need, sacrifice daily to raise them...and all the while they are watching. they are learning about LOVE, ready to share what they have learned the moment an opportunity arises. 

i was blessed that day, by a few little boys who knew their mama needed them. 

linking up with casey and sara at a mama's story.