Trauma and Preciousness {all in one night}

Last night was horribly traumatic for my sweet boy.

You see, he's sucked his thumb since he was about 4 months old. And {yes, I know you're not supposed to start a sentence w/the word and} when I say "sucked his thumb" I mean he's really had a very torrid love affair with that darned appendage. He started out just sucking his thumb when he was tired, but that quickly turned into him sticking it back into his mouth between bites of baby food or while playing. It has reached the habit stage now. His poor front teeth have been pushed so far out that he can hardly close his lips together and his bottom teeth are being pushed back to the point that they're turning in. Can you say orthodontic work?!

Anyway, back to last night. We decided that it was time to take matters into our own hands {again} so Daddy-o taped little man's thumb down w/athletic tape. The dude was not happy! He sobbed for a solid hour and this momma's heart was breaking. I finally took him upstairs to his room to read some books and try to take his mind off the fact that his very best friend was taped to his palm. It didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped. I read him stories between his sobbing and talked to him about our reason for doing the taping down of his BFF. I told him that we were trying to help him since he was having a hard time stopping on his own and he just cried "I can't help it." It was so sad!

Then he started telling me that it was stinging and hurting. He had been pulling on the tape, so the tape was pulling the skin and I knew it had to hurt. So, after about 1 1/2 hrs of pure torture for my baby, I relented and took the tape off. I thought he'd be thrilled, but he continued to cry for another 15 minutes.

I finally got him in his jammies and he asked if I'd sleep with him. Now, I'm not the greatest mommy, but I just couldn't resist his sweet little tear-stained face at that moment. So, I snuggled under the covers w/him and asked if he wanted me to sing him a song. His first choice was You Are My Sunshine and when I finished singing that I asked him if he wanted me to sing another song. This time he asked me to sing "Si no". I told him that I didn't know that song, but he insisted that I did. I finally told him that I needed him to remind me how it goes by singing me a little part of it. In his sweetest, most tired little voice, he sang, "the Bible loves me si no". So I began to sing, "Jesus loves me thi "Si no". For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong."

How precious is that?! Oh how I love that little man!