Then and Now

I stumbled across this blog the other day and I have to share, this woman has put my heart into words. You can read her post here. What follows are my thoughts after pondering her words...

I know my baby (little man!) has to grow up and I honestly delight in every milestone, or even pebble of development that he achieves. I absolutely adore the person he is becoming. He has a fantastic sense of humor, a helpful and playful nature, he is sweet and tender and adventurous and rough and tumble and loves to explore. But when I hold him lately, I want to keep him there. I want to keep him just barely 20 months old...sitting in my lap, giving me slobbery kisses, his sweet tiny fingers grabbing my own, asking me to name each object in his picture books, begging for one more story, one more game of piggies. I want to keep his body pressed up against my chest to feel our hearts beating together, to keep our breath close together......for he is my soul, my most precious treasure and there is nothing that brings more peace to my whacked out little heart and mind than spending 30 seconds with his little body pressed against mine.

Alas, I cannot keep him small, nor would I ever truly want to; children are made to grow. The bittersweet truth of parenthood is our children will always be changing. With all my heart I want to take advantage of that truth...I want not to waste a second of my life with Seth, for who he is today is not who he will be tomorrow.

I pray that I will embrace Seth's changing nature, that I will recognize each unique moment in each unique stage of development and treasure Seth's journey for each step he is on and each step he will take.

I pray that my heart will be as this mother's and not focused on the chaos of my messy house and distracted life...but on the man my little baby will too soon be.

Song for a Fifth Child

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Sweet Seth, Mama loves you...yesterday, today and forever. For who you were, who you are and who you will become. I pray you will know this deep in your heart, for your Father in Heaven has taught me to love and He too, will teach you.

Then

Now

*Sigh*