It's All Short

Every moment is precious and it passes too fast.  Many people have told me over the past year that “The days are long, but the years are short.”  As I look back and remember 2013, I have to disagree – every moment passed too quickly.  The days are short.  I wake up, and before I know it, the day is over and I’m rocking my baby, soaking in the last quiet moments as he nurses before bed.  I want to hold on to all of these precious moments and never let go.  But all too fast, they’re gone and the season has changed.

I have changed countless diapers in the last year, but I have treasured changing each one.  This might sound crazy to some, but it’s true and I’m not trying to make it more romantic than it is.  This is what I cherish - The smiles when he lies on the changing pad and giggles - The screams when I tickle his naked belly - The feet that kick the air, the wall, the changing table, and sometimes me – The rebellious tantrums when he doesn’t want to be changed because I see myself in his tiny revolt - And even the messy diapers… the ones that go all over the table, the clothes, and both of us.  I laugh so hard when the poop is everywhere and nothing short of a bath and a load of laundry can make the situation better.  James and I both laugh – and I’m so very thankful that we can spend these messy moments together.

Grocery shopping has been another of my favorite activities this past year.  I wear James in the store and I whisper in his ear and we cuddle while I try to find the best deal and healthiest options for our family.  Before I know it, we spend almost an hour in the store sometimes.  We enjoy these times – he appreciates the change in scenery and the smiling strangers and I enjoy the closeness and calmness that comes while wearing him.  He looks up at me and smiles and I look back down at him and kiss his face.  Every time we do this, my heart melts and I fall in love all over again.

Laundry and dishes seem like things that are monotonous and boring… and they were… before I had a baby to be my entertainment while I work.  I put James in the floor with me while I fold laundry.  If I’m lucky, I can get him interested in his own toys rather than trying to attack my tower of perfectly folded and color coordinated diapers.  But even if he does attack my masterpiece, it’s fun.  Even if it takes me three times longer than normal to get laundry done, it’s alright because we are doing it together – I talk to him – and he knows that his mama likes to get down on the floor with him.  Dishes are a little more difficult, but he enjoys scooting around my feet while throwing toys or wooden spoons.  He’s my amusement in the midst of the repetition.  

Before becoming a stay at home mom, I thought that the weight of the housework, the grocery shopping, and the endless diapers would make me go insane.  I could never have been more wrong.  It is in the midst of doing these simple daily tasks that I find the most joy.  I am so very thankful that I can spend these precious moments inside the home alongside my sweet boy.  This has to be the best time of my life.  I truly don’t know how it could be any better.  So for me, in this first year of being “mama” to my baby, the priceless moments that have built up and become days, weeks, months, and now a year, are beyond description.  I can’t put words to how good it feels – all I can say is this – the days are not long… they are short and very sweet.