The other night I woke up to the word “Mom” being whispered in the dark. I opened my eyes expecting to see a child standing before me at the side of the bed. But there was no child.
Again, I heard the softest whisper “Mom” – almost like an exhale. This time I looked to the doorway. Sometimes the kids won’t come in if the door is closed. But the door was opened, and no one was there.
“What?” I asked aloud, trying to get the little love to come to me. The only response was a grunt from Wyatt as he rolled over in his sleep.
I lay in the dark trying to decide if I was dreaming. Then I remembered the kids were all outside sleeping on the trampoline. But surely they weren’t calling me. It was too quiet of a whisper. My exhausted self wanted to roll over and just go back to sleep. But what if the kids needed me? It was too much. I stood and went to my window to look out across the yard.
On the trampoline I saw one lone child sitting up, stirring. “That’s weird.” I said to myself. I swear the “mom” I heard belonged to Roo, but the child sitting up looked to be Everett.
I went around the house to the sliding door, went into the back yard, where I heard two soft little wimpers.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked. Then Roo, turned around and his wimpers turned to tragic sobs. “I’m cold. I want to go in” he cried.
I brought Roo in, cleaned him up (he’d had an accident) and tucked him safely into bed between Wyatt and I, where he promptly fell back to sleep.
But I lay awake in the darkness.
When my SIL Karen was expecting her first baby, she asked a bunch of moms what baby monitor we recommended. I told her to not worry about it. Her mom-ears would make it so she would hear EVERYTHING – even if the baby was 3 doors down the hallway. Months later, after the baby came, she confirmed my prediction – she did indeed hear everything.
It’s the mom ears that make it so moms don’t really sleep a full night, even if the kids don’t need particular help. You just hear them. ALL. THE. TIME.
But as I lay in the dark, I thought about the exhaled “Mom” I’d heard earlier. It was so soft. So very very soft.
Was it soft because I was hearing it across a yard and an exterior wall? Were my mom ears really that good?
No, I don’t really think so. I’m pretty sure it was the Holy Ghost waking me up to let me know my little Roo Boo needed me. I know Heavenly Father adores this little guy, and probably didn’t want him to have to shiver all night on the trampoline, so He woke me up to help him.
I’m glad I did.