One more rock

Every night, pretty much since he was born, I rock my baby boy as part of his bedtime routine.  We have recently been contemplating giving back the rocker we borrowed from friends.  He's getting bigger now-maybe ready soon for a toddler bed in the next 6 months-and there have been some nights he just asks to lay in his crib so we only rock for a short time. 

Each night at bed time he gathers Elmo (mo-mo) Bear (bear-pronounced with more emphasis on the e), and at least 2 other friends he picks up along the way-usually Woody (he calls him Hat) and the incredible Hulk action figure (Guy, he calls him!).  I sit him on my lap as he struggles to clutch all his friends-some fall, I pick them up.  We settle in, snuggle, and I press My Pal Scout's paw 3 times to queue the bed time music.  I usually rock him through 3 songs.  We start rocking as Scout says:  "10 minutes of bedtime music-goodnight Tommy!".   

As we begin to rock- he starts squirming stalling the inevitable: sleep.  He asks for more friends-I say:  you have enough-no more friends. He 'honks' my nose-he giggles.  I can't help it and I giggle with him.  We talk for a few moments as I rock back and forth.  I ask him who his friends are at school and he replies: "Anny" (Manny) and "Addy" (Paddy).  I smile as I tickle his hair line.  He starts relaxing every now and again touching my face or moving on my lap-trying to stay awake for one more minute.

I prepare to lay him down in his crib after the third song-I slow down my rock to a stop, sit for a beat longer, then lay him in his crib.  Most nights he's ready to drift off, others he's a bit more awake but will settle into sleep shortly after I leave the room.  The other night-the night I was thinking may be the last night we rock.  After the third song, after I slowed down the rocking to a stop, he looks up at me, sticks his pointer finger up to his face and says to me:  "One more".  "One more what?"  I replied.  "One more rock (ock)". 

Queue heart melting into a puddle of mush. 

Of course I obliged.  I started rocking through 2 more, 3 more, and then before I knew it we rocked the entire 10 minutes of bedtime music.  I started the music up again and laid him down, drowsy. 

I kissed my hand and put it on his forehead telling him goodnight.  He kissed his hand and waved it in the air and said "ni ni mama".

Who knows how many nights we will have like this one and I will cherish every bit of it.