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Snapshot

It is 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon. I am sitting in the office, and I can hear my boys snoring. Barry in one room and Ledger on the other side of me. Napping away the afternoon. Ledger cried when I put him down for a nap. Big, angry tears. I offered him his stuffed monkey, and he just shoved it away. This is new, he's been a good napper for a while now. But for the last couple of days, whenever we have put him down he's reacted like we suggested he lay down with vipers for a few minutes. Maybe its the runny nose bothering him, or maybe it's a new phase, but either way, we'll eventually come through it. I've been to church, we've all had lunch together and gone to the park. These are the days. The days that will be gone before I know it. The way Ledger laughs and laughs as we swing him at the park. The little dance he does in the bed when we come to get him after a nap. The bounce and reach when the bottle comes out. The smile of pride when he stands up, only barely hanging on to our hands.

When we were bringing him home from the hospital, he started to cry. And to stop him, I started to sing. And it worked! It was probably a coincidence, but my shaky rendition of "you are my sunshine' made him stop crying. And it still works today. It worked at the doctor's office yesterday, and when daddy was changing his diaper this morning. How much longer will the sound of my voice, singing off key, stop him in mid-fuss? I know it won't last forever, but I hope the sound of my singing is always a good memory for him.

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