The Ah-see

Remember how I mentioned that I have been drinking coffee since I was two years old?

Well, Son #2 has me beat.

He’s heard us talking about coffee, and sometimes he will get his cup of apple juice and pretend he’s drinking it with us. He calls it ah-see.

He’ll say, “Momma, Dada, I ah-see!” Translation: “Mom and Dad, I’m drinking coffee.”

It’s cute. We’ll smile and tilt our heads in a way that indicates his cuteness overload has filled our eyes and minds and hearts, and we’ll say something to the effect of, “Awe, yes you are, you little cutie-patootie rascally-wascally sweetie-pie.”

Last Saturday, I got up early and prepared for the day. Me getting ready includes devotions, making coffee, and showering.

I brewed coffee and poured a steaming cup full of the precious liquid. Dad and I had made plans to go to breakfast that morning, and he was buying. He arrived before I could finish it, and we went to a local cafe.

We had some things to do afterward, so we were gone until the early afternoon.

Later that evening, Charity told me I had left my half-filled coffee cup in reach of our children. It was on the end table beside the rocking chair. Son #2 found it first. He took it upon himself to have a sip.

Charity heard him say, “Mmmm. Oh, ah-see.” Translation: “God in Heaven, have mercy. I have found the nectar of life. My life will never be the same.”

She peeked around the corner from the kitchen and saw his tiny hands lift the mug to his mouth for another go at it. Of course, she took the cup to the sink and gave him some apple juice.

Normally, Son #2 is always ready to take a nap. He will come up to us and ask to take a nap. He’ll take a nap after waking up from a nap. All we have to do when it is time for a nap is say, “Okay, Son #2, let’s go night-night.” And he’s practically running for his bed. He’s a precious child.

But that day, no nap.

Fast forward a few days, and we were drinking coffee again. As I’ve alluded to already, this is a typical occurrence.

One thing we didn’t think about is Son #2 has learned how to climb. And he’s doing very well at it.

I came around the corner to find Son #2 standing in a chair at the table, drinking from a coffee cup. His mother had put it in the middle of the table, but that wasn’t enough of a deterrent for him.

When he saw me, he jumped, set the cup down hard on the table and looked at me, and smiled. Big.

And through his coffee mustache, he said, “Mmmm. Ah-see.”

to the best part of waking up,
– Caleb