The chair

As I was rocking Cade a few days ago and humming the infamous (to my boys, at least) Near the Cross against his sweet cheek, I started to reminisce. I don't know if it's something you do often once the 2nd baby comes around, but I know I do. I realized as I softly glided back and forth, that this chair holds so many memories. 

It's not the nicest chair, that's for sure. The brown is a little "off" and as you can see the skirt around the bottom doesn't come near to reaching the floor. But, emotionally? The chair is worth a million dollars. 

I sat in that chair with my bulging belly (and bulging arms, legs, fingers, ankles and toes, but I digress) and dreamed of the day that I would be rocking my first baby in it. Oh, the daydreams that I had in that chair! 

I figured out that the boppy fit in it perfectly when I nursed Connor in it for the first time. I cried and cried in that chair when I couldn't get Connor to latch on only 6 days after being born. And then I cried and cried again when he finally did.

I have taken many a cat-naps in that chair in the middle of the night with a baby in my arms that will sleep nowhere else. 

Connor intentionally kissed me for the first time while rocking him in that chair...at the mere age of 5 months old. He was my little loverboy from the beginning. 

I have sat in that chair and laughed and laughed as Connor told me which songs to sing. 

I sat in that chair and watched as my sweet boy learned how to fold his hands and pray to our big and wonderful God.

I watched as Matt moved that chair into Cade's room as his arrival was getting closer. It was my second time to sit in that chair and dream of the baby to come. 

Connor went through a stage of not wanting to be rocked. The closer we got to Cade's birth, he decided he wanted to rock again. He knew something was up and that was his way of holding on a little tighter. I would sit in that chair with him almost sitting on top of my stomach (still not sure how my water never broke during any of those rocking sessions!) and me struggling to get the words out of my mouth due to not being able to take a full breath. Feeling baby brother kick underneath the weight of his big brother.

I have rocked both of my boys in that chair. I would hold Cade and Connor would sit beside me and hold hands while he would pat Cade's back. 

I have read books to both of them in that chair. Connor making sure Cade sees every picture on the page.

I have curled up in that chair and slept while Cade had a party by himself on the floor in the middle of the night. 

In that chair, I have cried tears of complete and utter happiness that these boys are my babies. That I am able to stay at home with them and rock them all day in THIS chair. 

I had no idea how much this chair would end up meaning to me...how many memories it would end up holding. Memories that will last forever. Man, I sure do love this chair :)