Small Wonders

Today was rough. I could go into all sorts of details as to why, but I won't. I'll just say this: Ellie was not her normal happy, mellow, sweet self. Naps were nearly non-existent. Attitude was high and tolerance was low.

It was rough.

Bedtime couldn't come early enough. Early bedtime, that is.

As Ellie and I went through her bedtime routine of singing a Children's primary song and reading from the Book of Mormon stories together, even that didn't go as smoothly as normal. I was tempted to hurry through in order to get my little girl to bed. The sooner the better. I needed a time-out.

Then it was time for prayer. As I faced Ellie and knelt down to pray with her, she took my hands. I wasn't sure what she wanted because normally I take her arms to help her fold them. So before I took her arms, I asked her if she was ready for prayer. And she folded her arms!! It was beautiful. It made me tear up. It amazes me that a 10-month-old baby can understand and recognize the routine of something as simple as prayer.

As she sat there with her tiny arms folded, I gaped at her. She was ready for prayer! I waited a few seconds for her to open her arms back up; then I tested her by asking again, "Can you get ready for prayer?" and again, she folded her arms. It was not a fluke!

So I jumped up, commanded her not to move from her spot on the couch because I had to grab the camera - she grinned at me like she knew she just made me the happiest mama in the world. (I swear she knew!) And this is the short video I got.

 For two minutes, I was blissfully happy.

Then we went to put pjs on and there was screaming, crying, and thrashing. *sigh* Moment over. But. Ellie is now sleeping peacefully (or at least quiet in her crib) and I can say it was a good day because my girl knows how to get ready for prayer :) A small but significant success!