The House at Night

It was dark. It was quiet. Everyone was asleep except for me. As I closed my eyes, about to join my family in slumber, I heard a little voice. Emmy was talking in her sleep, saying something completely cute and yet unintelligible. I thought to myself, “If I were already asleep, I would have missed hearing that little voice.” It was something for me, her mother, to treasure.

I thought about all the other little noises I hear when I am still awake and everyone else is in bed. Sometimes the house creaks. The wind makes our old windows rattle. When I am alone, typing on my laptop, I can hear the flutter of moths at the window screen, drawn in by the light at the window. An occasional car drives by; a freight train rumbles on distant tracks.

I enjoy these nights in a quiet house. It is a time for writing without interruptions. It is a time to finish that book I’ve been reading. Sometimes I think about how I will regret my late night in the morning, when Lily will jump on my bed and start to poke me. But for now, the night is mine. I relish it.

When I am ready for bed, I creep around the house, turning out lights and checking the locks. I gather together paperwork I need to finish in the morning and put it at my place on the kitchen table. Tiptoeing up the stairs, I listen to everyone breathing softly. I check on the girls and cover them up. I listen to my husband. He has to be up early for work, so I am happy when I hear him sleeping rather than tossing restlessly.

I slide under the covers and relax all my muscles. I hear Emmy’s little voice and think, “Ah, what a sweet little blog post that would make.” I write in my head. I could creep back downstairs, bring the laptop to bed and write. But that means I would have to get up, out from under my cozy covers.

Instead, I turn over and snuggle deeper into my pillow. I’ll write that blog post tomorrow night, when everyone is fast asleep again.

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17 Replies to “The House at Night”

  1. Beautifully written! I agree with you! Having little ones myself I feel like I have something many others miss! I might miss hours of sleep when my littlest one wakes up but I gain so much more when I go to her crib and she smiles at me! I wish I could wake up everyone else to let them know of this great thing! But then I feel selfish and I want it all for myself and I feel I am so blessed to have those midnight gifts! Awesome Post! Thanks for sharing your beautiful moments with us!

  2. Love those late night sounds you can only hear once it's quiet. My husband thinks I'm crazy because I don't even put the tv once the kids go to bed when he works nights. I just love it! However, I sometimes enjoy for far too long and slightly regret it in the morning!

  3. Posts are always being written in my head. Sometimes I do get up and turn the computer back on! Love this post, love the quiet of the night and your moment with Emmy.

  4. What a beautiful post! I know just what you mean. I should go to be do much earlier, but I can't resist that sweet quiet time.
    My recent post Trudging

  5. Bed time for kids is one of my favorite times of the day – no only do I finally get to relax but the silence is amazing after having a 1 and 2 1/2 year old boys running around! And about talking in sleep – my husband talks so much, it's hilarious!! My Father-in-law does too so it must run in the family if that's possible…I can only wait until my kids start talking too!!
    My recent post Can Men Sell Scentsy?

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