Sweet, Sweet Moment

Gabriel has had a stuffed animal that has been his pal for his entire life.  If you have followed our blog for very long or if you know us at all, you know that Lion is as much a part of the family as I am.  Gabriel has carried him around and slept with him since he was a baby.  Recently, Gabriel has become even MORE attached to Lion, it seems.  Lion sits at the breakfast table with Gabriel.  Lion comes in bathroom sometimes.  Gabriel gets his feelings hurt if you refer to Lion as a stuffed animal or "just a toy."  In his mind, Lion is his best buddy.

Tonight when I was tucking Gabriel, and Lion, in for bed, Gabriel suggested that I take a picture of him and Lion together so that if anything ever happens to Lion he will still have him in a picture.  He said that he'd been thinking about that for a while, and he really wanted a picture taken with Lion.  I agreed and told him what a great idea I thought it was.  Gabriel added that he's afraid that one day he won't be able to see Lion anymore, and he wants a picture to remember him by.  When he said this, his voice caught in his throat, and he wiped his eyes.  I hugged him and agreed to take a picture of the two of them tomorrow.

As I was leaving the bedroom, Gabriel said, "Mom, it makes me cry a little to even think about it."  I could see tears on his face.  I went to my big boy, who felt more like my baby boy just then, and I hugged him and reassured him that Lion is here and not going anywhere.  I promised to take the picture of the two of them together tomorrow.  I also said that I would put it in a picture frame so he could always look at it.  He nodded in agreement.  I gave him a good night kiss.  We exchanged 'I love you's,' and I left his bedroom.

Sometimes he seems so big and so grown up.  Other times, my baby boy is right there on the surface.  I love that my baby boy comes out sometimes, and that he still needs his Mommy.  It was one of the sweetest moments . . . .