Unexpected Milestones

It’s 12:30 and her shows are over. Quietly, she grabs her blanket and stuffed animal. She makes her way up the stairs and into my room. I close the laptop and take her hand. As we cuddle into my bed, she asks the same question she has for over a year now.

“Will you rub my back, please?”

Today, though, she reminded me that this would be the last week she’d be taking a nap. Next week, the big kids will be home for summer break. And she is a big kid now, too.

I knew this day was coming. Heck, she far surpassed my napping expectations. At five years old, she no longer requires a nap to make it through the day.

But she’s so good at it.

As I laid with her today, I quietly cried.

I whispered in her ear my love for her and softly kissed her cheek.

These unexpected milestones always get the best of me.