Two more minutes...

Two more minutes.

A phrase used in our house countless times per day.  It starts in the morning when I go into Colin's room to wake him up for school.  "Go away Mommy. I have two more minutes."

So, two minutes later I return to his room, and lure him downstairs with the promise of cinnamon french toast sticks.  A few minutes later, he has "two more minutes" to play before we leave for school.  "Two more minutes" in the car to watch Caillou or Scooby Doo while we sit in the parking lot, and so it goes. Each transition of his day requires just two more minutes. I don't mind.  What's two minutes right?

I literally have no idea where the past three years went. Now don't get me wrong. 

There were some long days in those short years. 

But nonetheless, time has escaped me. 

This weekend we celebrated!  We celebrated Colin's 3rd birthday.  We celebrated surviving (and yes, I mean surviving) being parents for three years.  We just celebrated.  With cupcakes, chocolate, jelly beans, more chocolate, ice cream, and well, more chocolate. 

After a very full weekend of celebrating, I lay in bed with Colin as he fell asleep, now an official 3 year old.  Normally, I fall asleep first - literally when my head hits the small little pillow he "orders" me to use.  But, this time I stayed awake.  I watched (through squinted eyes) him carefully arrange his stuffed animals, yawn, and then lay down - arms tightly grasping his puppy.  He snuggled right next to me and feel right asleep. Instead of slipping out of bed and sneaking back downstairs to sweep the kitchen floor, fold laundry or pick up countless books, toys, and crayons, I stayed there.

For two more minutes.

I examined every feature, the same way I did the first time I held him in my arms. I wanted to lay there and watch him forever. When you have a 3 year old boy in your house, they never seem to stop moving. They are a blur. Running, jumping, yelling, laughing. Nonstop. In this moment, I memorized every inch of his peaceful face. I listened to his quiet even breaths, and snuggled closer.

For just two more minutes...

 

 

Update:  Along with all the wisdom that comes with being 3...Colin has abandonded his cries for "two more minutes" .... he now asks for FIVE!