How Many Little Moments Do We Miss?

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I was up at 3:00am like I have been every night for the last week and a half. Feeding a baby in the middle of the night is a nice interruption of sleep. (And I only say that because she only gets up once. If she got up three or four times a night like some of our kids, I'd be writing a different post).

I held the baby in one arm, with the bottle in her mouth. In the other hand, like every night, I held my iPhone. I usually take this time to check emails, Facebook and play Friends With Words (and addicting Scrabble-like game). I was in the middle of making a semi-awesome play, when I glanced down and saw the baby looking up at me. Her big dark eyes just stared at me. While I was staring at my phone.

Being only six weeks old, she sleeps  most of the day. The fact that she was staring at me like that, two nights before we're to give this beautiful foster baby up, made me think. How many other nights did she stare at me, wide-eyed, while my eyes were glued to my phone instead of her?

I tucked my phone under my leg and stared back at her. I sang a Men at Work song to her that was on the radio (you never know, that could possibly be the only time she'll ever have a Men at Work sung to her in her life).

I told her how much we've loved her and having her in our home. I know she didn't understand, but I explained how much we're going to miss her, and how badly we wish we could keep her. I instructed her to have a good life and to be the best person she could possibly be. In response, she stared a little more, then spit the bottle out and went to sleep.

And to think I would have missed all that if I hadn't put my phone down.

Comments

Kathi Oram Peterson said…
How touching. I've worried that I've missed important moments as well.

I admire your caring for a foster child. You have truly blessed the child's life.

Merry Christmas!
December 20, 2010 at 3:18 PM
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