The Nursery

Somehow we always end up in here.  After we have chased the puppy and grabbed her tail and been licked on the head.  After we have emptied the cabinet that holds the plastic containers and scattered them all over the floor and cooked imaginary meals that we know mommy would certainly enjoy.    After we have stepped out on the deck and looked at all the constellations  we need to talk about.  After we have played with our toys and left them all over the living room floor.  We somehow end up back here, in the nursery with the special toys that wait for bedtime.  We sit on the floor and play with each car and truck.  We stack our blocks and we knock them down and we turn on the toy that Gaga loves the most.  It's a plastic alarm clock music box, with star shaped buttons on the front.  When you push the purply star it plays classical music.  The blue button plays Brahm's Lullaby, but we're not ready to go to sleep just yet.   Gaga's favorite, and the best, is the green one that makes the nature sounds.  We love that one.  It sounds like spring peepers and crickets and water rushing by in a little creek.  And every once in a while, we hear a night bird and a bull frog that says "Barrumph!"

The top of this toy is magical.  There is a place where light shines through a little stencil.  We take turns putting our hands over it and it shines flower shaped bits of light on our fingers, like the constellations we gazed at in the starry sky earlier in the night.  Maybe that is why Gaga loves this toy the most, those dear and familiar animal sounds and the stars above that remind her of home.   

We listen and we continue playing.  Cars roll under the bed and we fetch them out, zebras dance across the floor and dolphins swim all in a line, until baby scatters them like the waves that hit the shore of the lake nearby.  Baby goes after this toy and that, but always circles back to sit next to Gaga.  Then it's off to play again.  He climbs her knees like a tower and gives her another hug.  Finally, baby crawls up to Gaga,  and stops, stares intently at her and then gives her a little kiss on the cheek, musses her hair and smiles.  Perfect moment that Gaga will never forget.  He chases after another toy as the music box plays on.  

We're getting sleepy now, both of us.  After this long day of playing and visiting and looking at giant animals that must be mooses, and scary animals that must be bears, it's getting close to bedtime.  This day has been so perfect, we don't want it to end.  One more change of diaper, one more big hug.  One more crawling around the room with sleepy eyes and baby yawns and Gaga sings the sleepy song that mommy started months ago.  Sleepy baby, time to say goodnight...