A bowl of chicken noodle soup

This morning as I prepared our outgoing mail, I asked Mike what flavor and what type of cake I should bake for Ryan's birthday. He immediately answered "chicken noodle soup" and flashed me his signature boyish grin.

At first, I thought he misunderstood my question. Who on earth ever heard of a cake flavored like chicken noodle soup?! Eew.

But, then I realized Mike was referring to Ryan's favorite food was while he was in utero: chicken noodle soup.

That baby of mine loved when I ate C.N. soup. No other foods I ate got the warm reception that C.N. soup got. And, I loved knowing that Ryan's reaction wasn't subtle, as that was added reassurance that he was okay in his little house.

While pregnant, I hated only being able to guess what Ryan was doing in my belly. But, luckily, any time I was worried that he hadn't moved enough that day, I knew what foods to eat to elicit a reassuring response from him. It was comforting to feel his wiggles and tumbles and pokes. Those were the moments when I felt closest to him and any loneliness I was feeling was chased away in an instant once I felt just one of his gentle flutters.

After remembering how good those C.N. soup moments were with Ryan, I decided to have a bowl for lunch, hoping to once again feel that closeness with my beloved baby.

I hope he enjoyed it, because I know I sure did.