The Joy of Holding a Sleeping Baby

The other people sitting at my table were two children, their mother, and her sister-in-law.  The oldest son was 2 1/2 years old and very rarely (if ever) left their arms.  The youngest was 7 months old and started off being as clingy as his older brother.  When I first offered to hold the children during a meal, they looked at me as if unsure what to do.  Later, when they tried to give me the 7 month-old and he looked like he might start crying, the sister-in-law quickly took him back. 

At one meal (on the second day), the youngest son was crying at the table, which made it extremely difficult for the sister-in-law to finish her meal.  I felt honored when their mother suggested she try giving the baby to me.  I quickly found out that this small boy did not like to sit, but preferred standing.  He was so tired, but as most children was fighting sleep.  After some time standing and rocking he fell asleep in my arms.  What a joy it was for me to be able to hold this small, sleeping baby in my arms.  I realized how much I have missed interacting with babies.  I was enjoying it so much that I even forgot that I hadn’t eaten the second course of my lunch until the sister-in-law came to find me.  I told her to enjoy her meal and that she could just bring me the second course when she was done. She continued to offer to take him back, but I refused as I was enjoying holding a sleeping baby and hoped she would enjoy a few minutes of rest.  The next day I was able to hold him again during breakfast while he once again fell asleep in my arms. 

What made me treasure this more than anything else was that the mother had initiated having me hold her son and after just a few short hours was willing to trust me with her precious boy.