My Melting Heart

I walked into the house after a disappointing day.  He came around the corner with a huge smile on his face and melted my heart.

I put my things away, gave him some cuddles, and he informed me he wanted to eat.  He happily munched on his apple slices and devoured his waffle.  He tried some new things and fed me cheese.  He had a difficult time understanding that we didn't have any more pouches and he had to eat what was on his plate.  He pitched a little fit, but still, he melted my heart.

We went outside to play on the slide while we waited for Daddy to get ready.  He pushed the doorbell on his little house and said, "knock knock" and waited for me to respond with "ding dong".  He climbed up the steps and slid down the slide on his belly, then ran around to do it again.  I sat on the sidewalk and watched his sweet self, climbing and sliding and pushing his doorbell.  He melted my heart.

After going to the store to get diapers and pouches and bananas (three things very important to my 1 year old),  I followed him into his room to help him put away his diapers.  He laid on his bed, patted it, and said, "Mama!"  I laid down next to him and he grinned a happy grin, and he melted my heart.

I took off his shirt, because it was soaked with water.  He rubbed his skin because it felt so good to be a little freer.  He walked into the living room to get Daddy and round him up as if thinking, We should all be together.  Please Daddy, come in here with us.  He ran back into his room to find me.  Daddy sat in the chair, but he patted the mattress and said, "Dada!".  "I'm too big, Bubbuh, you come sit with me."  So he sat in his Daddy's lap, shirtless, and listened to him read about a zebra with rainbow stripes.  They melted my heart.

He found his measuring cups in his basket and ran to the stove to cook something for us.  He returned to give us each a bite.  He found his water bottle full of beads and laughed hysterically while Daddy shook it all around his body and through his legs.  He tried to do it himself, and he melted my heart.

These are the moments that melt my heart.
The moments that happen every day,
under my nose,
and I often fail to notice.

Imagine the joy my heart would find, if I would simply stop more often and take it in.