Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Gentle hands.

This weekend, I had the most amazing experience while putting Ethan to bed. We had finished our usual ritual of bedtime story (current favorite: Little Book of Mother Goose Rhymes), bedtime song (Itsy Bitsy Spider and my original "Ethan's Lullaby"-- which I've been humming or singing to him since he was born), and bedtime hugs and kisses, when the atmosphere suddenly changed... I was leaning over him giving one last kiss goodnight, when he reached up and gently stroked my cheek. Then, he touched his own cheek in the same area, before stretching out his arm again and stroking my other cheek and then his own. He continued to do this sort of mirror-touching until he'd gone over our cheeks, foreheads, lips, and chins, all the while gazing into my eyes.

It was so moving and surreal and introspective; I kept wondering what exactly he was thinking, and what this experience meant for him... after he'd finally had enough, he pulled me down for one last kiss and said "'Night, mommy," before rolling over to face the wall. I left there and couldn't stop thinking about that strange, interesting, genuine experience we'd shared. What a precious gift from my little boy.

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