{A little note if you are new here...I am joining up with The Nester for a 31 Day blogging series.
To start back at the beginning or find previous days, click here}
(Disclaimer for this series: I want to start off by making the promise that although I will use language like "mom, toddler, home, young, etc...I don't want anyone to feel like this isn't applicable to them at any stage in life. Maybe you are a dad or an aunt or an older sibling with the hard reality of taking care of your youngers. Maybe you have a newborn babe and just can't seem to get through the days without crying. Maybe your kids have all left the house. Maybe you go to work all day and come home and feel like you should relish in all the good things, but find yourself getting just as frustrated with your kids as if you had been home with them all day long. This is for you, too. I only use the language I do because of the personal situation I am in. I am a stay at home mom with a toddler and a new baby on the way. If you would, please don't get hung up on that language. Some days may be harder to apply than others, but there is truth in God's promises that can meet each of you where you are. Thanks. Enjoy, xo.)
For a little background, my son has never been a cuddly baby. From day one (literally) he has been way to excited about exploring the world around him to even lay his head on my chest.
Need some proof? No time for snuggles. Just wide-eyed and looking around.
Back to two weeks ago...
This particular night he had woken up sick. While Bryan graciously cleaned out the crib, the mom in me just wanted to hold him and let him know it was okay. And something strange happened. He collapsed. He laid on me. And just let me hold him. He wasn't asleep. He just was. And in that moment, my frustration of being woken up at 3 a.m. just disappeared. I was able to take in the moment and realize how special it was.
While I don't wish to be up at 3 a.m. every night, it did make me take a step back and realize just how quickly seasons come and seasons go in our lives. There was a time that Ellis was up every night at 3 a.m. All I did was long for it to pass. As I sat there, rocking him that night, I thought of a few other things in the past 17 months that have come and gone.
There was a time...
when Ellis was pushing 10 months old and wouldn't eat any solid foods.
when Ellis was only a few weeks old and I was sure that I would never feel like a normal person again.
when Ellis would throw up after every meal and we couldn't figure out why.
when it took us 45+ minutes to rock Ellis to sleep each night.
when Ellis never napped.
when Ellis would play peek-a-boo all. day. long.
when I had to sing my baby to sleep.
when I could leave him in a room and know he couldn't move (or jump off the coffee table...).
when Ellis wore a helmet for 23 hours a day and it bothered him and bothered me more.
when Ellis no longer wore a helmet and I found myself secretly missing how cute he was in it.
Some of these things are seasons I am glad have passed, others I wish I would have cherished more. But even the ones I don't long for are times that I look back now and think "that wasn't so bad".
What are those seasons in your life that you never thought would end? What are some you wish you had held on to for just a bit longer? Maybe you are in a rough season right now. Or, maybe you are in a great season but letting something small cloud your ability to enjoy it.
Your toddler won't always need you to rock him to sleep. Your baby won't always cry every time you put him in the carseat. Your daughter won't take her paci to school with her when she's 8...hopefully... :) But on the other hand, your son won't always want to sit on your lap. Your baby won't always want you to hold him. Someday your kids won't want to hold your hand or play peek-a-boo or say that precious little word in the perfectly wrong way. So cherish the season. The good with the bad.
Because that's all it is, a season.
And this one, too, shall pass all too quickly.
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