Treasure

One of my best friends just found out she is pregnant with twins and is now so sick she can't get off the couch.  She already has 2 little ones to care for. Oh how I remember those days.  When I had my Maddy, Shelby was only 4 years old, Kyra merely 2. ( My goodness--what were we thinking???  Obviously, thinking wasn't at the top of our priority list. ;) ) Definitely a crazy few years.  I recall not being able to get off the couch myself when I was pregnant with Maddy, and I have a very vivid memory of these 2 tiny faces staring at me as I was lying there trying not to lose my lunch.
Shelby looked at me, shook his little head and said, "Mommy, are you EVER going to get off the couch?"  To which I replied, after I had started sobbing, "Nooooo, I don't think so!"
Oh for Pete's sake.
Thankfully, we survived. Maddy was born, and now my cute little munchkins are so grown up.

To all of you who are parenting little ones, navigating your way through pregnancies and piles of diapers--hang in there. These days, full of things that seem so never ending and exhausting, are fleeting.   There are many things I wish I'd done differently, you'll someday feel the same.  While it would be nice if each kid popped out with his/her own manual, this isn't how it goes and so we will all make mistakes. It's life.

Here are a few things I've learned over the years...

~Hug your kids...a lot!  Hug them, kiss them, squeeze them tightly.  Stop whatever you are doing and take time to let them sit in your lap. Tell them you love them, even if they they roll their eyes and say, "I know, Mom. Geez!"

~Let them be goofy.

 

~And be goofy with them.

 

 ~Let them sleep outside on the trampoline...making a big mess with every single blanket, pillow and sleeping bag you own. When you hear them at 2am, running around the backyard, just be thankful and try to go back to sleep.

~Let them play outside and get dirty.  After that...let them bring home bugs and sticks and rocks and dandelions. When they offer you the gift of a gravel rock that they painted, accept it with a smile.

~Let them paint the graffiti on the wall, play dress up, and make a mess baking cupcakes.

~Love them enough to let them go through the tough things, and be thankful for every single day that you are blessed to be with them. 

~Play ball, build a snowman, cherish the laughter, and play in the yard.

      

~Coach that team.

~Love every handmade birthday card and Christmas gift. Put those sweet little drawings and paintings on the fridge.

~Love them for who they are, each so different from the other, with special talents and gifts.

~Laugh.  Laugh.  Laugh.

The One You Can't Put Down

“A first child is your own best foot forward, and how you do cheer those little feet as they strike out. You examine every turn of flesh for precocity, and crow it to the world.

     But the last one: the baby who trails her scent like a flag of surrender through your life when there will be no more coming after–oh, that’s love by a different name. She is the babe you hold in your arms for an hour after she’s gone to sleep. If you put her down in the crib, she might wake up changed and fly away. So instead you rock by the window, drinking the light from her skin, breathing her exhaled dreams. Your heart bays to the double crescent moons of closed lashes on her cheeks. She’s the one you can’t put down.” ― Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

It has been years since I read The Poisonwood Bible, but this quote has stayed with me, never failing to touch my heart.  Originally having decided to stop after having 2 kids, Jay and I both felt that we were supposed to have one more.  As I am an EXTREMELY miserable pregnant person, this was no small decision for me.  So we had our Maddy...the baby who came with no more coming after. I truly, truly cannot imagine my life without this amazing, brilliant, kind and precious girl. 

Maddy is growing up into a beautiful young woman. Where do the years go?  So fleeting.  Don't let a day go by without hugging your kids, telling them you love them, and making time for them even when you feel you couldn't possibly spare a moment. 

Love you, Peanut.  Thanks for all of the hugs, kisses, snuggles and love.  I am sooooo proud to be your mama.