cheerios in heat vents

if you were to look inside my house, you'd see evidence all over of the little girl who lives here. 

her playroom, once upstairs in our third bedroom, has now replaced our dining room. big cube organizers filled with craft supplies, little people, magna-tiles, barbies, princesses, and puzzles, take up the spaces along the walls. a hot pink nugget couch and pink play kitchen and vanity, break up my organic modern decor. 

all little pieces of the childhood my husband and i are slowly creating for her, coming to life right in front of our eyes. no matter where we go in the house, she leaves a trail of her things behind, a little reminder of her small, but huge presence. 

and i wouldn't have it any other way.

nick and i prayed for times like these - to be able to fill our home with the things our children love. and while it took some time, heartbreak and a lot of grief to get here, we now have a little miracle child running through the halls of this home, leaving her mark on everything.  

i don't have much time to myself during the day. being home with her 24/7, is my full time job, and i wouldn't even call it a job. it's my life's purpose. but sometimes, i wish i had just a moment to myself to do something as simple as use the bathroom. unless she's asleep, that little girl is my shadow. 

the other night, nick came up to me and asked me if i noticed anything out of the ordinary in our powder room. i said, no, and asked what he was referring to. he told me to go look in the heat vent - i did.

and there, inside the vent, was a cheerio. 

i couldn't help but smile. 

this cheerio, as silly as it sounds, was just the tiniest reminder of the life i've been blessed with. 

i may not have time to myself like i once did. i may not be able finish a whole workout, or read as many books as i used to. i may have to share my bed with a little human who thinks it's the safest place to be. i may have to let my coffee go cold because there's a diaper that needs changing and a little girl who wants to play dress up RIGHT NOW and doesn't want me leaving to go downstairs to get that coffee. i may have roots that need to be done, or a shirt that needs to be changed because it's covered in yogurt from sticky hands. 

i may not much left of myself to give to my friends or my family, or even my husband sometimes.

but you know what i do have? 

i have cheerios in heat vents.

i have a healthy, happy, full-of-life daughter, who thinks i'm the greatest person in the entire world. 

i have a husband who respects me and loves me and puts me first.

i have the life i've always prayed for. 

i’ll gladly give up everything i’m “lacking” just to gain that one cheerio.