Taking a few minutes to look down

I've got so much to do. Family is coming to town in 2 days, dishes from company are stacked on the counter, 8 bottles, nipples, straws, caps, and rings to wash, and 2 playdates today that I need to get myself ready for. Maybe I could curl my hair today instead of another careless bun. Maybe if she naps long enough, maybe, just maybe I could shave my legs. I go to the kitchen to rinse the bottles so I can load them in the dishwasher. I get all 8 rinsed and then I hear the squawk. I shut off the water and hold deathly still thinking she will fall back to sleep. Another squawk. And another. I tiptoe into the other room, stick her pacifier in but no good. Squatting down, I pick her up and pull her in close. We snuggle for a second and her eyes start to close. "After a few more seconds of snuggling, she will fall back asleep and I can get some work done" I think to myself so we sit down. If I make a mental list, I won't forget all the things I need to do once I put her down: drink some water, eat breakfast, do dishes, start laundry,  put away last weeks laundry, make the bed, do my hair, get out the spare mattress, vacuum, sweep, call Modesto Imaging, call the insurance comp.... and I stop suddenly. She grabbed my finger. I realize that I was staring blankly at our green wall, not sure where my hands were, but now I know. My daughter is holding my pointer finger on my left hand, my right hand under her little bum. I was so busy looking into 10 minutes from now, I wasn't focusing on the present and I wasn't looking down at my daughter. So I looked, I mean truly looked, and here is what I saw....

two little baby acne bumps remaining on each side of her nose, a little tuft of hair on the bridge of her nose, yellowish speckle of something in her ear that I need to clean when she wakes up, the light from the window hitting her jawline just perfectly that I can faintly see the little bumps that she wakes up with every morning, her perfectly curled eyelashes, the short crease on her chin that turns red when she's been sucking on the pacifier too long or too hard, her "twazy hairs" sticking in every direction, patches of dry skin on her pink, chubby cheeks, fingernails that need trimmed, perfect arches of her eyebrows that can only be seen when the light catches the hair just right, a little itty bitty booger in the right nostril of her tiny button nose. I smell stinky bursts of air coming from her round mouth hanging open in a perfect "O" shape but a waft from her diaper takes away the smell of her breakfast of champions.... whew. I think it may be a full diaper. As if in complete agreement, my right hand starts to feel some little toots as her eyes flutter open. I can see the beautiful blue color of her daddy's eyes looking up at me. Just as quickly as they had opened, they fall closed again. She starts sucking on her green pacifier that had fallen out during her short snooze. Suddenly, just like a mouth full of pop rocks, her toots pop off in rapid succession in my hand and a laugh escapes my lips. A smile starts to appear on her sweet face and I silently scold myself. How could the load of blue jeans spilling out of the dryer ever be more important than living this moment? I plant a big, wet one in the middle of her forehead which causes her to suddenly loosen her grip on my finger. As she starts to wiggle, I realize its time for her next bottle. Before I lay her down, I thanked God for this precious gift that we call Chloe Jane.

Psalm 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    Your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.