Don’t Blink: Babies Don’t Keep

The Days Are Long, But The Years Are Short

I know we have all heard this quote, but I think when we are in those years when the days seem really really long, we forget to cherish even the hardest moments. There were so many times I thought to myself that I couldn’t wait to sleep in again, to have a clean house, not to be mommy’d to death, and here I am and I would love to be woken up by a sweet sleepy toddler again. Don’t get me wrong, the freedom that comes with the teen years is great, yes we have different challenges, but somedays I really miss having littles around the house.

Take The Picture

When my kids were little I was once told that I should just live in the moment and keep the memories, that I didn’t need to photograph everything. I am so thankful I didn’t take that advice. When I open my app that contains all my 16 years of motherhood, I am so very thankful I took all the pictures. Just one look at those pictures and I can hear the little voices they used to have, the funny things they used to say, that sweet smell of a warm, fresh from the bath baby. The pictures are so much more than just a picture. There are moments captured, that I may have forgotten, there are people in these pictures that aren’t with us in life anymore, but will be with us forever in that captured moment. My kids also really enjoy looking back at the pictures and claim to remember it happening. And take videos; I can tell you that I am so thankful for videos. I have so many videos of my kids with my dad and being able to see him and hear him now that he isn’t with us anymore is such a comfort to us all. So take the picture, take the video, live in the moment, and capture it forever.

Holidays

My kids’ birthdays are usually the kick-off of my nostalgia. The first birthday is early October, so in my scrolling through the pictures for my social media post of ages birth to the current year, it hits me that this went by so fast. The past couple of years when the Target toy catalog showed up, it went almost immediately to the recycle bin, because no one wants toys anymore; in previous years there was a rush to the table to look at all the things to add to their wish lists.

From pumpkin patches to Santa visits, these are just some of the things that make me miss having littles during the holidays. Our holiday traditions are still fun, just very different. One thing I promised myself is that I would not let the holidays become boring just because my kids got older. We still dress up for Halloween and will trick or treat as long as our neighbors tolerate us (by the way can we make adult trick or treating a thing?? Hello, neighbors, our kids will all grow up at some point and then it’s just us). We still watch Mickey’s Christmas Carole, but also National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Our Elves are still very active. We opted to go to Miracle Bar at Longway Tavern on Christmas Eve instead of Papa Noel Tea at the Ritz last year. Krewe of Boo and Krewe of Jingle are still two of our favorite traditions. My kids still humor me with Santa pictures. We still leave carrots for the Easter Bunny and cookies for Santa. Creating these memories and traditions with my kids was so important to me, I hope they continue them when they have their own kids.

Embrace It All

To my moms in the very thick of it, your floors are covered in toys, cabinets are sticky, you probably just want to pee in peace. I promise you that you will wish for these days again. There are some days I wish I was waking up to a tiny little voice asking for milk and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, days I wish we were on the floor playing our 12th round of Candyland, making a cute little PBJ and cutting up safe bites of fruit and veggies, reading Goodnight Moon and rocking a little before bed. These days seem both so long ago and also just like yesterday, so don’t blink because babies don’t keep.

Nikki
Nikki was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she has lived in Seattle and Portland. After visiting New Orleans, she fell in love with the city, and she and her husband decided to take a chance and move from the PNW to NOLA. Nikki has two kids, Amaya (16) and Tyson (13), she and her husband Dave have been married for 16 years, they live on the Northshore. Nikki works full time as a NICU nurse. Nikki and her family have fully embraced the culture of New Orleans, while they live on the Northshore, they play in New Orleans as often as they can. As a member of New Orleans Mom, she hopes to bring the perspective of the veteran mom and life with big kids and teenagers.

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