As you saw yesterday in Jack's six month post, our little buddy is growing up! He is no longer the teeny, tiny, fragile newborn we brought home from the hospital. And as I watch Peter toss Jack up in the air and as I listen to Jack squeal with joy, I am reminded of the teeny, tiny fragile baby he once was.
And it has only been 6 months...that's all.
And....those six months have gone so fast. So Fast.
A dear friend reminded me of this today, and she posted this on my Facebook wall this morning.
"This made me cry this morning. I know we're not quite in the 'apple slices' phase yet but can you believe our boys are 6 months old? Where did the time go?!"
And we may not be in the apple slices phase, but we have entered into the realm of the mooshy banana phase, and my baby is slowly exiting the baby phase, and I get it. I, too, am all sorts of emotional...Always. My poor husband.
Well the THIS she is referring to is an excerpt from a blog post by Brian Sorrell who writes a blog called Dadding Full time, and this post was featured on the Hands Free Revolution facebook page. I highly recommend logging into facebook right - search for the Hands Free Revolution facebook page - and click like - you won't regret it. I know I haven't!
And without further ado...
"One piece after another, he gets closer to the bottom of the bowl. There was a time when I would secretly wish him to finish fast so I could get out of his room and get on with my night. Not so these days. Like every night, he'll get through the apple slices at his usual leisurely pace. He'll lay his head down and ask for one last cuddle. Lately, he grabs me with both arms around my neck, pulls my cheek to his, and whispers in my ear that he loves me as I relish his soft skin against my ruddy old face. I don't lament my getting older so much as I lament his. I want this to last, but it can only go on so long.
One day he will lay his head down with someone else. Someone will have filled my shoes - made him laugh when he felt let down, let him cry it out when there was nothing left to say. Someone will accept his flaws, temper his obsessions, keep him in check with a firm but fair hand - a referee stepping in to keep his fight moving forward like it should.
These are the moments, watching him crunch his slices of apple, giggling at the crooked smile that each one becomes, looking back at me with his cinnamon eyes, and soft cheeks puffing as he chomps away. This is parenting, I think to myself. Me. Noodle. Settling down together. And suddenly I'm flooded by all the times I think one day I'll have my life back - but, this is the moment I'll be reaching for later."
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
First, I don't know what I love more.
The fact that he refers to his son as "Noodle."
Or the fact that I get it on so many levels.
"There was a time when I would secretly wish him to finish fast so I could get out of his room and get on with my night."
Wow - this one really hit home. I know for a fact I have thought this. C'mon Jack, aren't you done yet? Mom's got things to do! And I am not proud when I say I could win an award for multitasking and breastfeeding at the same time. Oh there's laundry to fold, a house to tidy, a bed to make - I can do it! I have an extra hand! It is hard for me to just sit and rest. And in the middle of the night, when Jack wakes up, and the house is dark and quiet, and when I'm far too tired to do anything else but lay with my baby and feed him, I'm convicted of my need to "do". I'm convicted of my selfishness. And last night, after waking up for the second time with Jack, I realized my perspective had changed as I squeezed my son a little tighter, and pulled him a little closer to my chest. I brushed my lips over the top of his head, inhaled his sweet smell, and stroked his little back. And as his hand grazed my chest, and as his soft cheek stroked mine, and as his chest rose and fell, I was convicted. How easy it is to run through life without taking a moment to pause, cherish, and appreciate these little moments.
"I don't lament my getting older so much as I lament his."
Ahh...this makes my heart ache. Jack is growing up so fast! I know it sounds silly, but it's so true. In a few short months, he will no longer be a baby. In a few short months, he will be crawling, walking, talking. In a few short months, he will have outgrown all of his baby clothes. I don't lament my getting older as much as I lament his - I get it.
"And suddenly I'm flooded by all the times I think one day I'll have my life back - but, this is the moment I'll be reaching for later."
Don't think I haven't thought this exact thought..."One day I'll have my life back." So much of my life right now is centered on raising Jack, feeding Jack, entertaining Jack, caring for Jack. If I'm not with him, I'm thinking about him - his next feeding, his nap time, his bath time, his diaper laundry (this is what happens when you use clothe diapers!). And it's exhausting at times, and I'm so thankful for the way Peter partners so beautifully with me through it all. And don't get me wrong, I love this life, but I'd be lying if I told you I never thought about what it would be like to only have myself to think of. And I know there will come a time when Jack no longer needs me quite the same way he does now, and I'm sure, in just a few short years, months even, I will be reaching for these sweet baby moments that I currently find myself experiencing.
Here's to cherishing each and every day and treasuring each and every stage as we watch our little man grow up!
And it has only been 6 months...that's all.
And....those six months have gone so fast. So Fast.
A dear friend reminded me of this today, and she posted this on my Facebook wall this morning.
"This made me cry this morning. I know we're not quite in the 'apple slices' phase yet but can you believe our boys are 6 months old? Where did the time go?!"
And we may not be in the apple slices phase, but we have entered into the realm of the mooshy banana phase, and my baby is slowly exiting the baby phase, and I get it. I, too, am all sorts of emotional...Always. My poor husband.
Well the THIS she is referring to is an excerpt from a blog post by Brian Sorrell who writes a blog called Dadding Full time, and this post was featured on the Hands Free Revolution facebook page. I highly recommend logging into facebook right - search for the Hands Free Revolution facebook page - and click like - you won't regret it. I know I haven't!
And without further ado...
"One piece after another, he gets closer to the bottom of the bowl. There was a time when I would secretly wish him to finish fast so I could get out of his room and get on with my night. Not so these days. Like every night, he'll get through the apple slices at his usual leisurely pace. He'll lay his head down and ask for one last cuddle. Lately, he grabs me with both arms around my neck, pulls my cheek to his, and whispers in my ear that he loves me as I relish his soft skin against my ruddy old face. I don't lament my getting older so much as I lament his. I want this to last, but it can only go on so long.
One day he will lay his head down with someone else. Someone will have filled my shoes - made him laugh when he felt let down, let him cry it out when there was nothing left to say. Someone will accept his flaws, temper his obsessions, keep him in check with a firm but fair hand - a referee stepping in to keep his fight moving forward like it should.
These are the moments, watching him crunch his slices of apple, giggling at the crooked smile that each one becomes, looking back at me with his cinnamon eyes, and soft cheeks puffing as he chomps away. This is parenting, I think to myself. Me. Noodle. Settling down together. And suddenly I'm flooded by all the times I think one day I'll have my life back - but, this is the moment I'll be reaching for later."
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
First, I don't know what I love more.
The fact that he refers to his son as "Noodle."
Or the fact that I get it on so many levels.
"There was a time when I would secretly wish him to finish fast so I could get out of his room and get on with my night."
Wow - this one really hit home. I know for a fact I have thought this. C'mon Jack, aren't you done yet? Mom's got things to do! And I am not proud when I say I could win an award for multitasking and breastfeeding at the same time. Oh there's laundry to fold, a house to tidy, a bed to make - I can do it! I have an extra hand! It is hard for me to just sit and rest. And in the middle of the night, when Jack wakes up, and the house is dark and quiet, and when I'm far too tired to do anything else but lay with my baby and feed him, I'm convicted of my need to "do". I'm convicted of my selfishness. And last night, after waking up for the second time with Jack, I realized my perspective had changed as I squeezed my son a little tighter, and pulled him a little closer to my chest. I brushed my lips over the top of his head, inhaled his sweet smell, and stroked his little back. And as his hand grazed my chest, and as his soft cheek stroked mine, and as his chest rose and fell, I was convicted. How easy it is to run through life without taking a moment to pause, cherish, and appreciate these little moments.
"I don't lament my getting older so much as I lament his."
Ahh...this makes my heart ache. Jack is growing up so fast! I know it sounds silly, but it's so true. In a few short months, he will no longer be a baby. In a few short months, he will be crawling, walking, talking. In a few short months, he will have outgrown all of his baby clothes. I don't lament my getting older as much as I lament his - I get it.
"And suddenly I'm flooded by all the times I think one day I'll have my life back - but, this is the moment I'll be reaching for later."
Don't think I haven't thought this exact thought..."One day I'll have my life back." So much of my life right now is centered on raising Jack, feeding Jack, entertaining Jack, caring for Jack. If I'm not with him, I'm thinking about him - his next feeding, his nap time, his bath time, his diaper laundry (this is what happens when you use clothe diapers!). And it's exhausting at times, and I'm so thankful for the way Peter partners so beautifully with me through it all. And don't get me wrong, I love this life, but I'd be lying if I told you I never thought about what it would be like to only have myself to think of. And I know there will come a time when Jack no longer needs me quite the same way he does now, and I'm sure, in just a few short years, months even, I will be reaching for these sweet baby moments that I currently find myself experiencing.
Here's to cherishing each and every day and treasuring each and every stage as we watch our little man grow up!
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