Don't Wanna Miss a Thing

"I could stay awake just to hear you breathing.. Watch you smile while you are sleeping.. While you're far away and dreaming... I could stay lost in this moment forever.. Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure.. I don't wanna miss one smile.. I don't wanna miss one kiss.. I just wanna hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine.. And stay here in this moment for all the rest of time. I don't wanna close my eyes 'cause I'd miss you, babe. And I don't wanna miss a thing."

-- Aerosmith, circa 1998

Just about anyone who has talked to me in the past week knows that my 15-month-old son is going through a severe attachment phase.. that is to say he has a complete meltdown if he is not physically attached to his Momma. I confess, I've done my share of complaining about it. The daytime hours are tolerable-- granted I could get more done if I could velcro the child to my back--but its those late evening hours just before bedtime that would try the patience of Job... when I want to just put him in his crib, put on some headphones and never look back.

Tonight was no exception. I rocked, I sang, I even used the shirt off of my back as a pillowcase so he could smell me near him... anything to escape! There was so much to be done, and I was already so tired. Finally, he fell asleep. As I stood there hunched over the crib with my hand still on his back, not daring to move, I looked at his sleeping body, as if for the first time. I saw the golden ringlets in his hair, the way his pouty mouth hung open, drooling on the pillow, even his chubby little feet, showing a faint gray on the bottoms from a floor that needs mopping. I probably spent the next ten minutes that way, just soaking it in. Maybe the Holy Spirit moved in my heart, maybe I just woke up and saw what was right there in front of me, but suddenly all I could think of was how precious these moments are. Tears of gratitude mixed with remorse welled up in my eyes, and I knew without a doubt that no matter how long I had to stand there, I was exactly where I needed to be.

Sure my back is sore, sure I'm way behind on my to-do list, but you know what? Chances are this is the last time a one-year-old flaxen-haired cherub of a boy will grace this home. And very likely its the last time he will ever be this attached to me. These are the moments I will treasure for the rest of my life. I don't wanna miss a thing.


"Behold, children of a gift from the Lord."