Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A Purseful of Kisses

This is a little make-up bag that I've had lying around for years (I think it was, perhaps, my sister's once) that I gifted to Abby when she began to show an interest in purses and bags.


It looks so very ordinary, but it is actually very special, because it is full of kisses.

I can't remember exactly when she started doing it- perhaps a week or so ago- but Abby recently began to come up to me as I sat in my usual chair to watch over her and her brother for the day, and hold out her hand to me, saying "Kisses?" At first, it was just a game: she would get a kiss on her hand from me, giggle, and repeat the process a few more times before losing interest and moving on.

Then, one day, Abby came to me while carrying her purse, and holding her hand upright, and cupped. When I kissed into her palm, she scooped up my bestowal, and tipped it into the little leather pouch. I was stunned. I asked, "Abby, did you just put my kiss in your purse?" She giggled, pleased with herself, and requested another.

And so, as the days have gone by, her purse has been filled with more kisses than I can count.

I want to bottle up moments like these, and place them in a purse of my own.

***

Regarding the storm, we came through better than I could ever have expected. Though we did get a bit of water in our basement, it was in the unfinished section, and therefore of no real concern. We've had similar amounts seep in on bad rainstorms over the summer. The lights did flicker here and there as the wind began to pick up, but we never lost power.

The howling wind that began yesterday evening, however, made me feel uneasy about putting my babies up in their attic dormer bedrooms. Beyond that, they are chilly to begin with, and I feared that if we lost power, they would quickly become too cold for the children to comfortably sleep in. So, Tom and I kept Michael in the bedroom with us overnight, and we put Abby in the basement play room. We brought down her toddler bed, which, unlike either crib, could be moved in one piece. I had no idea whether I'd actually be able to get Abby to stay in it, but since Michael was occupying the Pack n' Play, and I had no other immediate ideas about where I could put Abby down to sleep, I decided to try it. Bedtime stories were read in the chair next to her bed, and I laid her down with her pink and purple blankets (both of which she must always have with her in the crib), and a furry friend. I put on her music and lights, and sat in the chair by her bed until she fell asleep, which took maybe 15 minutes, then tiptoed upstairs, flabbergasted over my unlikely success.

What this all meant, however, was that while we all remained safe and dry through the storm, no one actually slept well. Michael slumbered peacefully until midnight, at which point Tom struggled to put him back down for nearly an hour before bringing him into bed with us. He cried for a bottle at around 4 am, received one, and fitfully finished out the morning in bed between the two of us. Though Abigail did not make a peep all night long, she was awake and sitting in my chair at 7:30 am, when Tom went downstairs with Michael, which was a good hour before she usually wakes. I wonder just how early she woke up, though, because even in wakefulness she was calm and quiet (so we have no way of knowing when she was sleeping versus not), and judging by her miserable mood in the morning, and extra-long nap in the afternoon, I'd say that she lost out on more than just one hour, somewhere along the line.

So, as initially thrilled as I was about getting her to use her toddler bed overnight, even going so far as to entertain notions of how I might start mainstreaming her to giving it some regular use, I think that last night has decided it for me. She will remain in her crib for as long as I can get away with keeping her there. It's where she really wants to be, anyway.

1 comment:

  1. How sweet is that. My heart about melted when I read about Abby's collection of your kisses.

    I'm so glad you and your family are safe. It's scary to see the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy!

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