Travelingjenny

Last night, Tess had a hard time going to sleep, something that happens only occasionally. Bless her sweet little heart, she's never tried to escape from her room (like her big sister used to), and she's never raised a fuss (like her big sister used to). She just sings to herself in her sweet little three-year-old voice. Last night, though, after listening to her sing for a while, I heard some banging and clattering. I peeked up the stairs and could see that her bedroom light was on. Of course, I quietly went to investigate. When I opened the door, she was standing in front of her dresser, with the drawer open. She was wearing her diaper and her favorite t-shirt (the striped one with the watermelon on the front). When she saw me, she burst into tears. Hysterical, heart-wrenching tears. The kind of tears that make me forget that she is still awake over an hour past her bedtime, and I am frustrated. The kind of tears that fill my heart so full I think it might burst. So I hugged her, and when she pulled out her watermelon shorts and said she really wanted to wear them, I let her. Then I turned off the light and lay down next to her until she fell asleep. After all, someday she won't need me like that anymore.