You Are My Sunshine

Dear Ethan,

It may be hard to believe but you are actually asleep right now. You're taking a nap. But as you sleep I can't help but think what a wonderful day we shared together. You're probably too young to remember, so I wanted to recount our day that ultimately led to my heart being melted.

This morning over breakfast I reminded you we were going to meet Jaime & Landon at the park for a playdate. However, I received a text from Jaime that her son was sick with a throat infection. We could have easily called it a day. Spent all day inside but instead we headed over to the park. You & Me. We strapped our shoes, took our snack bag, our sippy cups and off we went. Not to mention the weather today was perfectly cool. The coolest day all summer. On the drive to the park I rolled your window down for you to feel the breeze. You were loving it! When I glanced in the rear view mirror your eyes were closed and a big smile was on your face. I couldn't help but smile myself. Once we arrived at the park you quickly started guiding me to the slide. We were the only ones there. It was perfect. We played on the slide, crawled on the tubes, climbed stairs, and relaxed on the swing. After an hour or so we decided to eat some snacks and take our drinks to our next stop.

We stopped at Goodwill to browse through some used books. It was your first time. We walked to the kids corner and you followed me carefully. You were somewhat startled by the rumbustious kids which surprised me. I mean lets be honest, you are very much the same way at home. After several minutes you warmed up to the environment then started to pull books off the shelf. You then rearranged chairs, sat on the chair, then finally propped open a book. After an hour at this store it was time to check out and head home for lunch. On our way home you fell asleep.

Unfortunately you woke up when I removed you from your car seat. You were in good spirits but I could tell you were tired. I made us some quick lunch and ate together. We laughed. We danced in our chairs. We fed each other. We were happy. When lunch was over we washed up then headed over to your room for nap time. You grabbed your blanket and followed me. We changed your diaper, closed the blinds, and turned on the radio. I then picked you up as you held on to your blanket. As I held you, you placed your head on my shoulder then snuggled into my arms. You sighed. Your little arm was wrapped around my arm as if you were holding me tight. Not sure what prompted me to do so but I started to sing you "You are my sunshine." The very same song I use to sing to you when you were just a little baby. You probably don't remember this but I started to cry. I struggle to sing you the song. Why? Well, because my little baby [You] is somehow now my little boy. It feels just like yesterday when I wrapped you up in a blanket and rocked you in arms with this song. Now here you are 17 months old. You are holding me as I'm holding you. Then as if that wasn't enough, when I stopped singing you lifted up your head then gave me a kiss. I laid you down in your crib with tears streaming down my face. Smiling at you as my heart just melted. I tucked you in, said nap time, then told you I love you. After closing your door I stood there crying.

Yes, crying. I must warn you... you may just see me cry quite a bit as you get older. Nothing is wrong, it's simply because I am happy. Today, for instance, your simple gestures made me feel like I was the best mama in the world. I could tell you had a fun day with your mama. It reaffirmed why God has graciously blessed me with a flex schedule from work. It was simply for us not to miss on days like today. I love you very much, son. Just know that no matter hold old you get, in my heart you will always be my little baby. The little baby I used to rock back and forth as I sang "You are my sunshine." Thank you for melting my heart, again.

Besos,
Your mama