My Little Linus

At the risk of sounding like I favor one of my children......I must post about Jack, again. Not that I don't adore my other three boys just as much....it's just that Jack is at that age (2-4 in my opinion) when they say and do the funniest things!

Ever since Jack's phobia of the police began, he's been attached to me at the hip. This is odd in a way, because he has always been a daddy's boy. But lately, he even cries when I leave to go to work, which has NEVER happened. Go figure. Maybe after three long years, he figured out that I'm his mom, who knows. Because of our temporary hip attachment, and said phobia, I started a more complicated bedtime routine with him. After we say family prayer and put the big boys to bed, I head upstairs with Jack and spend about 15 minutes with him in his room. This is how tonight's tuck in time went:

Jack: Mom, you lay down with me and sing three songs and say prayer?

Me: Sure

Jack: OK Mom, here's your spot (patting to a 4" corner of the bed he has so thoughtfully reserved for me)

Me: OK, what song are we going to sing?

Jack: Mom, you sing three songs and sleep with me for three minutes?

Me: Yes, I'll sing three songs and sleep with you for three minutes.

Jack: You sing three songs and sleep with me for three hours?

Me: You're pushing it, buster.

Jack: Oh

We proceed to sing Twinkle Twinkle, Row Row Row Your Boat, and Five Little Ducks. Then Jack says a prayer which includes a request that "the brothers don't fight and hit." Was he reading my mind? Then Jack says "Time to go to sleep now, mom?" I say "Yep, time to go to sleep." He throws his arms up in the air, as if in victory and says "Yeeeessssss!" Then rolls over on his side away from me. This is my favorite part of tuck in time because it always makes me smile. With his right hand, he sticks his thumb in his mouth. It might bother me if he didn't look so stinking cute doing it. He found that thumb at four months old and hasn't let go of it since, especially when he sleeps. Who am I to judge, I sucked my thumb while I slept until I was 12 or 13....no lie. Then with his left hand he clenches my arm with a death grip as if we are parachuting out of a plane at 35,000 feet. Finally, in a desperate attempt to fall asleep before it's time for me to get up and leave his room, he closes his eyes SO tight that he squints them. I remember begging my mom to stay in my room until I fell asleep when I was little, so the fact that he does this is nostalgic for me. So he does his thumb sucking, death gripping, eye squinting for about thirty seconds. Then, without opening his eyes, or moving any other part of his body, he abruptly pulls his thumb out of his mouth, throws his arm behind his head toward me and says (while still facing the wall).......

"Mom, you wanna suck my fumb?"

Me: "Ummm, no thank you"

Jack:" You don't have a fumb to suck?"

Me: "My thumb sucking days are over"

Jack:" Oh, I sorry. You my buddy, Mom?"

Me:"I sure am"

Jack:"And I your buddy, Mom?"

Me:"Of course!"

Jack:"OK, goodnight Mom buddy, I wuv you"

No matter what has happened in the previous 12 hours of that day, when it ends like that, it's all worth it. Good night buddy, I love you too!