sun down

My favorite time of the day comes when the sun starts her descent. The girls are often in the bath, splashing each other and sometimes me. Water gushes over the side of the tub onto the floor, and while I should reprimand Grace, I don't. Instead I lean back and feel the last rays of the sun cascade through the window; the air is hazy with the pollen of rebirth, and I feel full.

Craig will retrieve the girls and dress them in their jammas (as Grace calls PJs). I will cradle Julia and nurse her before bed. Grace will race between rooms kissing me goodnight for the third, fourth, and fifth times. She will nuzzle my nose as Julia eats and whisper "mommy, I love you as high as the house." "I love you too, my angel," I will reply, and she will end our goodnights with one last kiss.

When Julia is done nursing I will pull her head into the crook of my arm and watch her delicate features as she slips off to sleep: her creamy skin and soft eyelashes, her pink lips that move slightly with each breath. I am filled with wonder for these babes who live in my house. However in the world did I gain such good fortune to be their mother, the night watchman of their dreams.