Cherish the Moments

Look at her. That sweet little baby. She wasn't a week old yet and I remember holding her while she slept thinking "I should lay her down. I'm going to spoil her." And then I remembered how quickly the time would pass and snuggled her close. We would stay that like for hours sometimes, letting the laundry and dishes go unnoticed and all other tasks and chores be forgotten. 

Two years later I can tell you I don't regret those hours for one second. I don't have any regrets other than I should have held her more. I should have cherished the moments longer. 

Mamas, don't lose sight of it. They grow so quickly - so quickly. Everyone will tell you how fast time will fly and when you're in the sleepless stressful days when a shower is rare and yet your only escape to normalcy, when you're overwhelmed with clutter and piles and feeling like you may never know normal again, remember how fast it goes. Remember how it will all-too-quickly be gone. You'll be snuggling a baby one minute and fighting a toddler's independence the next. 

I remember when I first learned of Eli and prayed he would adjust quickly and get on a schedule. What little I knew about a newborn. And what little it mattered. 

Hold onto the moments. The hard moments that take all your energy and patience. The peaceful moments that remind you it's all worth it. Hold onto your little ones while they're little because without even realizing it you'll be looking back at pictures wondering where the time went and how those moments are now gone. 

I'm not one of those moms who pines to hold a baby but I do know the reality of how quickly those babies grow up. Our calling is deep and wide, it extends to the depths of who we are stretching us beyond ourselves and asking us to go just a little bit farther. And as hard as it can be it is all worth it. Every challenging moment. Every cherished moment.