06/15/2026
Early mornings will break you and build you
Before the sun’s up, I’m already on.
Meds drawn /sorted. Notes from last night’s scary choking episode still fresh. My brain is running through today’s appointments before my feet hit the floor.
Medical mom mornings are heavy. The kind of heavy that sits in your bones.
Then I hear it. Soft and sleepy from the chair: “Momma?.. snuggles?” he says it in his own way that I understand immediately.
Gideon looks up at me with that Minecraft shirt, tongue out, like the world isn’t on fire. He scoots over, makes room for me like it’s the most natural thing.
And I melt right into him.
None of the hard goes away. The worry doesn’t vanish. But in that moment, with his head tucked under my chin, I remember: This is why. He’s why.
The world sees the appointments, the meds, the fight.
I get the snuggles.
And somehow, those 5 quiet minutes with my boy make me strong enough to do it all again.
To every medical mama watching the sunrise with a coffee and a care plan: I know these mornings. Hold tight to the snuggles. They’re what carry us.
