When Baby Grows Up

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, because my baby is growing up. My finale child just turned two on Valentines. Wow! I want to keep her in a bottle where I can capture those precious moments forever and relive them over and over. Yesterday, We took the crib apart and turned it into a toddler bed. There will be no more cribs at our house and that takes on a whole load of emotions for me. Soon no more binkies and diapers. Then it comes to no more "Mamas" and snuggle times, no more sippies and bottles of milk, no more hiding behind my leg, wanting "up pease", no more squishing my face with her fingers and saying "love you mommie". I want all of these things to stay here, but I know that they wont. One day I will look at her with the same fascination that I look at my 9 year old, and say to myself, "When did this happen?". Life moves too quickly and before you know it one phase is transitioning into the next.

I remember being pregnant with my first child and longing for the day that I could hold him, now I am longing for the days to stay when I can still hold number four. I think that the reason that life moves so quickly is so we can appreciate the good when it is here. When we can snuggle with our hubby in uninteruppted movie time (because there's no kids yet), when we are laying in bed moving our unborn babies feet with our hands, when we press our lips to our baby for the very first time taking in the sweet smell of their skin. Still yet, when we are laying in bed on a Saturday hearing the patter of little feet as they rush to come and snuggle in bed with mom and dad, when we cheer like a maniac at the side-lines of their very first tee-ball game, and when our child has a major part in a school production. And although these haven't come to me yet, I will cherish first dates, learning to drive, school activities, training-bra shopping, first break-ups, and college. And when my children have all gone and grown up, I hope to be an anchor where they can come home and say, "Mommy I need you." For now, I am trying to treasure each second.