Has anybody seen my baby? I think he’s around here somewhere, but I can’t seem to find him lately.
It feels like just yesterday that he turned two and suddenly, here we are, six months later with a walking, talking little explorer. He’s always on the move, especially when we go outside. Indoors, he wants to be doing whatever we’re doing. Sitting in my lap while I’m trying to work. Sitting at the counter while we cook. Sitting in the laundry while I fold it. He’s growing up to be such a helper.
I joke. But I still feel this little bit of nostalgia for the baby days. I lived in such a blur during that time, it feels like I never really got to enjoy them before, “poof,” they’re gone. Replaced by these sweet, sweet moments of watching his personality bloom.
I love being able to wake up to his sweet voice saying, “Mama! Me miss you all night!” I love being climbed on in the recliner while he asks me to “watch new one show?” I love being able to spend this time at home with him, even if I don’t always feel as present as I want to.
As this year has progressed, I’ve been more and more intentional about making time to enjoy watching him grow and sharing experiences with him. It started in January with our Florida trip. February was spent trying to hold on to that feeling of being engaged and excited, only for March to cut short all the ambitious plans we had. April was spent fighting against the same overwhelm and depression that consumed me postpartum, trying to hold on to myself and my sanity. May has always been bad for me, but I had the promise of a week off from work dragging me through. June? June was its own set of ups and downs. But I’ll take it.
The days are still long and hard, but we’re making memories. And I know after a rough day with my kid by my side that it doesn’t have to be perfect, I don’t have to be perfect, I just have to keep going and keep growing with him.