Rocking with my kiddos

It's late at night, so late that it's actually the beginning of a new day, when I hear the cries coming from next door. Nothing interrupts my toddler's sleep cycle like hardcore teething. I wait a few minutes to see if he's really awake or just momentarily disturbed, when I realize that the cries are only escalating.

As I roll out of bed, I'm not the least bit irritated, strangely. There aren't many things that could wake me up in the middle of the night with such a peaceful feeling, but this kiddo is one of them. I open the door to see a disoriented little boy, standing in his crib, his arms up.

"Mamaaaaa," he cries. As soon as I pick him up, he points to the rocker in the corner. "Chair," he says. He may have been abruptly awakened from his sleep, but this kid knows what he wants.

I sit down, and we begin to rock. He puts his head on my shoulder, and I can feel the drool already starting to seep through my shirt. If I wasn't certain that teething was the sleep culprit before, I am now.

"Ay yah," he says, indicating he wants me to sing to him. Ay yah is the chorus of his favorite song, and he associates it with singing in general. Sometimes I have to go through the first lines of a few songs before finding one he likes. I know I've arrived there when he stops making the "UH" sound a few bars in.

As I rock and sing, with his little body lying against mine in complete relaxation, I feel my other little baby start to wake up and kick and punch. There we are, the three of us, rocking in the dark.

I'm thankful for countless things in my life, but this moment ushers in a feeling of thankfulness like no other. I realize that in just a few months, I won't be able to rock both of my kids together in such a peaceful environment. Kids. The fact that I am a mom to one precious, fiery little boy is a gift I'm in awe of each and every day, but kids, plural? I never knew that reality could bring so much joy.

It may be 3 a.m., but I couldn't be more thankful to be awake.