Check Again

It is my custom to check on the boys right before I go to sleep. I make sure they're still in their beds, covered with blankets, not in oddly contorted positions. It's been a month since they had a nightlight (Cooper broke the light bulb, the nightlight, and gave himself a painful shock in one fell swoop) so when I walk into their room it takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the dark.

One night last week I walked in for my check. I went to Cooper first. Cooper rarely keeps his blanket on, so it's normal to have to pull it back over him. Sure enough, the blanket was pushed down on the bed. I pulled it up, touched his chest to make sure he was still breathing, and moved to Peter. Peter stays covered, he just sleeps at angles that look wildly uncomfortable. I straightened Peter. My last check was the window. We had opened it that day and I wanted to make sure it was locked.

As I was turning from the window and heading out the thought came to me, "Check Cooper again."

When I had initially covered him up I had had trouble seeing how he was sleeping. He likes to push himself up into the corner of the bed, so I assumed that's where he was. Now, after having been in the dark room for a few minutes, I could see more clearly. Looking down at Cooper, I realized I couldn't see his head. I reached down to where his face should have been and felt pajamas.

I felt slight panic at not being able to find his head. Then I had the thought to pull back the blanket. A mixture of relief and shock filled me when I discovered that Cooper had turned himself 180 degrees. Relief because his head was still firmly attached to the rest of his body. Shock because I had just covered his face with his blanket.

I am certain that it was not my own thought telling me to check on Cooper again. I don't want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't listened. He probably would have been fine. But what if he hadn't been?

I'm so thankful for the Holy Ghost and those promptings that help me keep my children safe.