"I Lutz You"

Yesterday I was telling Declan, “I love you, I love you” as I changed his diaper and he was echoing back, “I lutz you, I lutz you.” Then tonight, as I got him ready for bed, he looked up at me and said, “Mommy, Mommy?” and I said “yes?” and he answered, “I lutz you!” My heart exploded right there, I swear to you. This is why I had kids, right?

I will never ever forget the first time Brady told me he loved me. He was a bit older, probably closer to two, and it was more sincere since he thought about it and clearly said it. We were at the playground and he had been playing cars with some other kids. He had come over to the bench where I was sitting to get a snack and sat with me for a bit. Then he stood up on the bench and said, “Mommy, I wove you,” and then hugged me. One of the best moments of my life hands down.

I should have saved this for next Monday’s optimism, right? But I just couldn’t help it. Sometimes, when parenthood is getting you down and it seems like life is all wiping butts and cleaning dishes, all you need is one “I lutz you” to make you remember why you’re here.