This time was different

It's a rare quiet moment before bedtime in the house.  Over the drone of the fans I hear the low rumble of thunder and the chirp of birds.  No little feet pitter pattering, no laughing, no yells for mommy.

No, nothing is wrong.  Ian simply took the kids out to Home Depot to buy a boatload of batteries.  Seems that so many things these days in our house require them and the toy/toothbrush/flashlight graveyard had become really big.  Two of the main things that required the batteries were Caleb's Diego toothbrush and his play tool set power drill, so I knew there would be no persuading him to stay home with me.

I figured thought that I'd be able to woo at least one of the girls to stay with me (and therefore not send Ian out with all three kids) by letting them know that I was going to be whipping up a batch of cookies.  I mean really, coveted mommy time and eating cookie dough.

No dice tonight.  I tried a few times, but finally Ian shrugged his shoulders, smiled and told me to put my feet up, knowing full well that I'd be working on those cookies for bible study tomorrow night, putting away the mountain of laundry that is the biggest reminder of our eight day trip, and figuring out our menu plan for the week.

Something significant happened on their way out the door, and I just had to stop to write it down so that I don't forget.

Just today at lunch I was telling a dear friend that Darcy and I have seemed to be a little "out of sync with one another" for the last little while.  It has been like she finally had the confidence to not need me like she did when we first met.  There are good aspects to that ~ she doesn't cling to me as if her life depended on it anymore, and she is more content to explore.  There are also not so good aspects ~ there have been times where she's pushed me away.

So that means I've had to put a lot more effort into the relationship.  And that sometimes the "one sidedness" of it makes me weary.  Not that I'd ever stop working, but I'll admit that sometimes it makes me weary...

So tonight as I stood finishing up the dishes, my big kids sorta yelled over their shoulders, as they headed out the door, "Bye Mommy, see you in a little bit," and so I expected little miss "Me too" (as we now find ourselves calling her) to do the same.  Imagine my surprise when I felt little arms wrap around my legs and heard some of the sweetest words a mother can hear, "I love you Mommy!  I back soon!"

Oh sure, she's told me that she loves me before.  But always in response to me telling her I loved her first.  But this time, this time was different.  This time she sought me out and told me first.  

 
No, I suppose that unsolicited act doesn't mean we are magically "there yet" in our bonding process, but tonight I feel like we are one step closer.  That Darcy and I.  Oh how I love her!