The Centre Of My Universe
I look at him in the morning, snuggled up to me, his head pushing into my stomach. I am careful when I get up, so as not to make a movement that would wake him up, for that would spoil the moment, for I can just stand there and gaze at him a little longer. Have you seen anything as heart-warming and beautiful as a baby sleeping? I swear, I haven’t!
The moment he wakes up, I hear ‘Mamma’! No matter where I am, he just comes running to me. And I scoop him up in my arms and hug him tight. I take him to the balcony, still holding him close, to look at the azure blue, morning sky and “kabba” (pigeons for laymen). We stand there for quite some time, just looking out, taking in the morning tranquility while he would catch sight of a flying bird or a dog below, and be excited. His excitement is infectious. It makes the sun shine a little brighter for me.
In the evenings when we play together with his blocks, at the click of the front door lock, he pauses for a second, when it dawns on him who could be there. “Papa”, he says softly and out he runs towards Papa. And we just stand, transfixed at our spots – I, near the kitchen and he, at the door – and just look at his excitement, energy and euphoria! Then he climbs up on to Papa’s shoulders, his hands cradling Papa’s face. And it dawns on me that someday he would no longer be that tiny, he would be big, possibly even taller than us!
There were times when I would think about training him to sleep on his own. Sometimes we would talk about the age when we should consider moving him to his own bed. And then I realised, this little person, all of 19 months so soon, would not be so little forever. He would grow up in no time, who would want to do everything himself. Till then let me enjoy those tight hugs when I carry him around to get him to sleep, those tight hugs when he wakes up and just wants to put his head on my shoulder, the little kisses which I plant on his cheeks, taking in the smell of his hair when he sleeps next to me, the way he holds me tight when he is a little scared…let me savour those moments and hold the memories of those special times because he will not be little for too long. For now, he is the centre of my universe, and I say a little prayer every time I share a giggle with him or see his special smile or find his eyes twinkle with mischief, that I am here with him to see all these and more.
Ah! The perks of a stay-at-home mom!
Reema Sahay is a stay-at-home mom who spends her days running around her very curious toddler, ‘the star’, and catching up on books when he naps. She writes about charms and challenges of life at Pen Paper and shares her passion for books at Recommend Books. She sometimes feels that her 5.5 years stint in Marketing Communication was in another life.
