"Mama?"

Once a month, Elizabeth goes up to stay with her dad for a few days at a time. In the summer months, she stays for a whole week.
She's a year and a half.
I worry sick for her, thinking she's probably confused, afraid, or wondering where her mom is.

A few nights ago, she returned from a weeklong trip.
I LOVE when I get her back, that moment when she sees me and her entire face lights up and I hear, "Mama!".
Mmm, I could just eat her up.

Later that night, she had a rough time falling asleep. Usually she passes out quickly, but this time it took her an hour.

Mike and I went to bed. That's when she started crying. Again. Not normal. Typically, once she's asleep, she stays asleep.
I went into her room to try calming her down, but when I tried to leave again, she was in hysterics.

So I laid down with her.

We cuddled up, and her sniffles started to die down. After a few minutes, I could tell she was starting to doze off.

Suddenly, she jerked awake and called out.

"Mama?"

"What, honey?" I answered.

Then she turned over and went back to sleep.
I smiled and held her closer.
I don't know if she was just checking to see if I was still there
but I like to think so.

There's nothing quite like being able to comfort a child.