Of all the mommies in the whole wide world …

I tuck his quilt up around his chin, kiss his forehead, lean in and rest my cheek against his, inhale that puppy breath. He smiles, sleepy eyes dancing as he asks,

“Mommy will you do the thing where you pick me?”

I smile.

My friend Heather had taught me this last year…

“Oh Dutch, if I took all the little boys in the whole wide world, and I packed them all into a giant football stadium; and if I went through one-by-one and looked at every single little boy in the whole wide world. I’d look at each one and say Nope, not this one; Nope not this one; Nope not this one. Then I’d say, That’s the one! That’s the one I want! Do you know who I would pick?”

He can’t contain himself he’s smiling down to his toes, giggles erupt.

“Me! Me! You’d pick me!”

“That’s right babyboy, I’d pick you.”

He grins, content. “Will you do the girl one?”

I share the same story about all the little girls, then narrow it down to one. “Do you know who I would pick?” Again he’s giddy: “Heidi!”

“That’s right. I’d pick Heidi.”

Heidi perks up her ears from across the room. “Mommy will you do the thing where you pick me?”

I go over and repeat the story for her. No matter how many times they hear this they still just bubble over, they love it so much.

When I finish I hear Dutch say it softly from across the room.

“If I took all the little mommies … uh … big mommies in the whole wide world and I went through every one. I’d say Nope not that one, nope not that one, nope not that one. Do you know who I’d pick?” His grin stretches to his ears, you’d think he held the biggest secret in the world.

“You Mommy! I’d pick you!” I shake my head, laughing.

These kids heap love when they are loved.

Heidi wants to join the fun and pipes up in her bird-chirp voice:

“If I took a’ the li’l mommies in the whole world, I would look and say No not that one. No not that one.” and of a’ the li’l mommies in the whole wide world I would pick … 

Daddy!”

We all erupt. Heidi’s won the day. 

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{Where can you heap love today? Who needs to know that you’d choose them every time? Thanks for reading.}