The Hallway

The hallway light was on the other night as I walked from the living room to my bedroom. The light is rarely on, so it offered a new perspective and made me realize that the hallway has played quite a role in our family's lives.

The first night Emma was home the hallway light was on most of the night. I fumbled hopelessly in the "dark" of her room trying to get her, nurse her, then get her back to sleep without slamming my numb stomach against her cradle. Hour after hour I walked down that hallway to feed her or put her back to sleep, the bright light making me squint, my sleepiness causing me to forget to turn the light back off. The glare of the light reminded Hubs and I that our life would never be as it was before Emma was born.

Both kids took their first steps down the well lit hallway. It provided a long soft place to walk from one parent to the other, or in Grant's case, from one parent to a sister. It was an exciting time, my heart bursting with pride that each child had tackled such a major accomplishment.

Nowadays, the hallway has several uses. It's perfect for working on somersaults, although Grant tends to crash into the walls more than he rolls down the hallway. It also provides a nice place for a rousing game of chase, and Emma often uses it to gain some speed before she completes her Olympic vault in our room. Recently, it has become the time out spot for Emma because she HATES to sit alone, and her room was too much fun for a time out.

Friday, Emma and I got married over and over and over in the hallway. She put on her "marrying dress", we held hands, and marched down the hallway as I sang the bridal march song. Then we got to the end, promised to love each other forever, kissed cheeks, and declared ourselves married. Grant clapped and said "Wooooo" to celebrate our ceremony.