I’m a worry wart. Always have been, always will be. I really have tried to just let things be and take them as they come, but it’s just my nature to worry. As a first time mom, it certainly hasn’t gotten any easier. Is she getting enough tummy time? Is she gaining enough weight? Is she eating the right foods? Is she meeting her developmental milestones on time? I’m sure many of you can relate. But we all must remember that time is a precious thing!
Our pediatrician told me at one of our first appointments to make sure to enjoy the time we have with Addison while she’s still a baby because she will only be this little once. Not that our reaching those developmental milestones is not important, but if we spend too much time trying to make sure that everything is done by the book and worrying about what others think, we will miss those little moments that make parenthood so special. They say that the older you get, the quicker time goes by. Well, it’s definitely the truth, but I think I would add on that when you have children, don’t blink because one minute you’re planning their first birthday party, and the next minute you’re helping them pack for college. Is anyone else singing Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” now? You’re welcome!
Of course, we write down all the big milestones in the baby book – first smile, first tooth, first word – but what about those little moments like when your child let out a huge belly laugh after hearing you sneeze? Or when they cannot contain their excitement at rolling a ball back and forth or watching the dogs play fetch? These are all things I want to make sure I remember, not how long did it take to transition from a bottle to a sippy cup. Ashley shared with me something that her mom’s friend told her: “being a grandparent is the only thing in life that isn’t overrated” and that has stuck with her. How true is that?!
Our contributor Sarah said “My biggest thing is not forgetting that Emma will NEVER get too big to hold & rock to sleep! She’s been teething lately and needing me to hold her until she falls asleep. Well, my arm usually falls asleep before she does, and an almost 25 pound lifeless blob is heavy after 30 minutes, but it’s the sweet, preciousness of her falling sound asleep in mommy’s arms that just makes me want to keep her small FOREVER!”
Ashley mentioned that “right now at bedtime Thatcher says “one more book” repeatedly in his cute toddler accent that kind of sounds like French (“uh moh booo”) … and while we have to set limits at some point, a big part of me wants to just let him crawl in my lap for “uh moh booo” as many times as he asks because I know one day he won’t want to read at all and certainly not in my lap.”
Courtney said when they sit down to eat, 2 year old Jack always says “so what do you guys want to talk about?” And Andie told us how her son loves to say “uh-oh” all the time right now. Sitting down to dinner – “uh oh. ” Taking a bath – “uh oh.” Playing with Maggie – “uh oh!” It’s his new favorite word. TIP: before the stage passes, try to catch it on video!
It is so interesting to see the way children interpret the things we say and do, and it’s definitely worth remembering. Dina shared with me that when her son was in daycare, they would have King Cake Fridays and whichever girl or boy got the baby was the king or queen. When she picked him up one day, he told her, “Mama, I’m the king of the pancakes!!” So cute!!
There are so many little moments that I want to remember. One of my favorite things right now is when you ask Addison if she loves her baby, she puts her doll close to her shoulder and squeezes tight. And I’ll never forget the look on her face the first time we brought her to the water’s edge at the beach and the waves crashed over her feet. She was in heaven!
So my goal is to slow down and learn to enjoy those precious little moments while we have them.
So sweet. My little one is 2 as well, and I am ALWAYS thinking about this. Last night I heard her on the monitor talking to her stuffed animals before bed, and had to go and give her another hug and kiss because, to my pregnancy hormones, there was no way NOT to.
The other day she told me, “Mommy, you beautiful like a flower.” So I’m probably still melted from that, too.
I loved this blog entry! Thanks Elizabeth! As a mommy to 2 active boys (9 yrs & 4 months), I know what you mean about blinking your eyes & them being all grown up. One of the things I love to remember about my 9 yr old son is the way he used to pronounce some words incorrectly…I thought it was so cute at first but then I started to worry about his speech and corrected him constantly so that he would say those words correctly. After a while, he only had one or two words that he still said wrong and I thought to myself, I’m not going to correct him anymore because those little mispronunciations are almost all that’s left of my little baby boy! So, yes, once a month we go to the movie F-eatre and have a special big kid date…and I smile on the inside every time he calls it that. =)
Great post! I love it when my kids give me kisses and TIGHT hugs and they make the exact noises I make when I squeeze them tight and kiss them. That is when you realize how much they are truly like little sponges and they are watching and learning everyday from you!
Well, I am a grandparent, love it!! I remember our oldest daughter, trying to say “look traffic”, one morning on the way to the babysitter. She was about 3 or 4. It didn’t sound anything like traffic to my ears. We did record her reciting the book “Twis the night before Christmas” when she was around 5. Where is that cassette tape?