Silence is Golden... Sometimes.

Not so much, when my toddler is awake. Noise is a good thing... it assures me of where he is, what he is doing, and the pleasing truth that he is engaged in something so harmless that he is not trying to be quiet.

Both of the boys were awake and well occupied for a while this afternoon, and I chose to take this rare opportunity to vacuum my upstairs... a job long overdue. (I love vacuuming. That's another posting topic.)

I stopped the vacuum after finishing each room, to carefully judge the volume level downstairs. I could hear coos coming from Tyler, a few exclamations from Tuck now and then; those sounds assured me that everyone was alive on the first floor of our home. Only then did I feel comfortable to continue cleaning.

But then... they were quiet. I should have responded right away, but I didn't. I kept cleaning. Foolish, foolish mommy.

When I came downstairs about five minutes later, I found Tucker with my red pen in hand, the cap nowhere to be found, and red streaks all over his hands, his face, and his brother's cheeks.

I should have known... it was too quiet.

p. s. A closer inspection later revealed red streaks all over Tyler's cheeks, the shoulder of his sweet little Pumpkin Patch onesie (that we'll hope isn't ruined), and even the back of his neck. Fantastic.