The Rocking Chair

“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue…” I sang, in a newly painted surfer blue nursery; as I rocked and rubbed my rotund belly safely housing my first baby boy.

I rocked back and forth dreaming of what he would look like. I rocked back and forth imagining his sweet little fingers and sweet little toes. I rocked my unborn child in the softest dark grey cotton rocking chair that we purchased with the extra money from our Baby Shower.

I knew that chair had to be comfortable, welcoming, and lasting … for it would be the most used and loved item for both of my children. It would be the place I nursed and bottle fed my babies. The place that I sang lullaby after lullaby as my babies drifted off to sleep between the nook of my arm.

Today, as I rocked my toddler to sleep for his nap, I remembered rocking his older brother in that same chair; singing the same lullabies in addition to a few new ones now. The look on his face as he became more content in his current state of rest, just as his brother did years prior.

The rocking chair is now located in a modern grey colored nursery to match my younger son’s original Mickey Mouse decor. It still looks brand new even though I have rocked both of my baby boys a countless number of times in that chair over the last 6.5 years. My body fits into it perfectly still. There are indentations where my body enveloped into the soft cushions that reserve the memories of every moment I rubbed my finger over the petite noses of both of my boys as I hummed them to slumber.

My older son no longer fits in that rocking chair with me. One day far too soon, his brother won’t either. They will grow bigger, I will grow older, and the chair will remain our constant.

One day my boys will be grown and they may just find me rocking back and forth in that same rocking chair. This time instead of wondering what my sweet boys will look like, I’ll remember their angelic faces squished on my chest, the smell of their baby shampoo, and that feeling of contentment within my soul.

“One day I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where dreams are far behind me…” I will sing out loud, and remember how fast it all went by. I’ll rock back and forth in that rocking chair and be proud of the mother I became and the boys I raised into men.

But for now, I’ll just soak in every ounce of love, cuddles, and snuggles from my precious boys. For I know all too well how quickly babies grow into boys and then into men.

So, I might rock my baby and revel in the curves of his face a tad longer.