objectively tired v. subjectively sleepy.

I stomped back to the hotel, my stomps growing slower and my breathing slightly ragged, while my son clung more and more tightly to my neck (my appreciation for the clinging growing as we walked, my grip slackened, a result of my increasing exhaustion in Seattle's chilly mid-morning air).  After we arrived inside the foyer, I plopped him down and said, "Now, walk."  We trudged toward the bank of elevators and I silently pushed the buttons I'd allowed him to push earlier, back in the pleasant, sanguine slice of morning where I was patient and he was gleeful and not slotted in tantrum-sequence.

As we exited the elevator, he said, "Now we're on our floor, right, mommy?  Where the wind can't get us.  This is where we can walk to our room, mommy.  Mommy?  I couldn't smile before because my smile was sweepy.  It was tired.  It was sick.  It had a stummy-ache.  So it had to sweep.  I couldn't smile because my smile was sweeping, and it was sick, and it had a stummy-ache, so I couldn't make it wake up when you told me to smile."  The chuckle slid out of me, traitorously. 

"You know, that's funny.  The story about your smile being sleepy woke mine up."  I spoke while slipping the key-card into its slot, the green light blinking kindly at me as I did.

"Yeah, mom.  That wasn't a long story.  It was just a short one."

Comments

[Mary]

Oh, I could just eat him up with a spoon. What a buster.

[flutter]

adorable

[aunt penni]

He's clever. :)

[Suebob]

Your kid may be a genius. You should write this stuff down. Oh, wait...you did.

[daisybones]

This made my entire day/week/month/year/ever. I love our kids, all of them. They sparkle in a very gray winter.

I send you loveness.

[mamatulip]

I love this.

[C Lo]

God makes 3 year olds like this so we don't drive to Nebraska (or whatever state that is where you can dump your kid) and leave them. :)

Adorable.

[Kyla]

That is delightful.

[apathy lounge]

Why are you not writing professionally? You make me envious. In a good way.

[Anissa@hope4peyton]

You need a hug. I wish I was there to give it to you. Followed by liberal application of vodka and pedicures.

[dodo]

now listen lady, don't think you can get away with decommenting your last post! You think not telling this ignorant loser of a seriously unworthy exfriend to fuck off is weakness?

Wrong!

Rising above is the greatest strength.

Broken or not, you rock.

You are a beacon of braveryness!

Kisses from over here xxx

[roo]

What a sweetie--
sweepy smile and all.

[Ruth Dynamite]

Chip off the ol' block.

[Lorna]

I'm glad I discovered this blog of yours.

-Lorna