My Real Life

Today’s question comes from Heather (are we sensing a trend yet?)

Heather writes:

This one may be tougher since you have four kids at multiple stages but is there a stage that you’ve passed through that was really a good thing, but you secretly miss it. Ex: I SO miss the damn pacifier some days. It’s not that I’m a fan ( or ever was) of toting those silly things around and losing them Etc but sometimes, some days, at some moments, I miss the ease of providing instant comfort to a screaming, fussing child. You know, those moments when even the hugs and snuggles don’t seem to even take the edge off of whatever is causing the wails. So, there…I said it….I miss the darn “Pa Pa” somedays. Any secret reveals Amy?

There are definitely stages that I miss.

For example, right now, I’m at the end of a stage that I know I’m going to miss as soon as it’s over.

I’ve been weaning Tiny off of nursing for a few months.

In September, he stopped nursing during the day, and was only nursing first thing in the morning, when I got home from school, and then at bedtime.

Then, a few months ago, we cut out the afternoon feeding, then a few weeks ago, we cut out the morning feeding.

And soon, in a few weeks, we’ll cut out the bedtime feeding.

And that will be hard for a variety of reasons.

1. I am a Mom who did not have difficulty with breastfeeding and have enjoyed it very much.

Tiny is my last baby, and so the last time will be the absolute last time.

I love our snuggle time at night, and while we can still snuggle without it, let’s face it, the kid is mobile…snuggling isn’t something he does much of these days.

2.  He falls asleep while he’s nursing at night, and if he’s not nursing, we are going to have to switch up his bedtime routine.

We’ve always been lucky that our kids go to bed without any issues.

However, it’s going to be a change, and for awhile, he’s going to cry and be furious with us that it’s time for bed, despite the routine of books, songs, bed, and it’s going to be SO tempting to just scoop him up and feed him to sleep.

I’m not going to cave, and I know he will learn to fall asleep quickly, but it’s going to be tough. (for me)

3.  It somehow signifies the end of “babyhood” to me.

And that makes me sad.

On another note, while I am thrilled for him that he is now so mobile and that his world has opened up and that he is learning independence, it would be nice if I could still put him down in the middle of the kitchen floor with some Tupperware and a spoon and know he isn’t going anywhere while I cook dinner.

Now, I put him down, fill a pot with water, run to catch him at the bottom of the stairs.

I bring him back to the kitchen, put the pot on the stove, run to catch him before he eats a stray small toy.

I bring him back to the kitchen, turn the stove on, run to catch him before he pulls the blinds off the wall from the sliding glass door.

You can imagine the rest of the story.

So, I’m missing the stage where he could sit up, but couldn’t crawl.

Because, let’s be honest, that is the easiest stage of babyhood.

With the bigger kids, I miss when Monkey Girl was little and I could dress her in little girl clothes.

I got to pick them out and dress her however I wanted.

Cute little stockings, pink jumpers, adorable MaryJanes.

This is NOT the case anymore.

A – My choices are generally met with a roll of the eyes and a “I really don’t like that,” and

B – No one looks at tween clothes and says “Aw!  How cute!”

With the boys, I don’t think there is anything that I really miss that they’ve outgrown, but I know that soon, there will be.

Like, when they are teenagers and I’m missing the days when my grocery bill didn’t require me to take out a third job.

But, then there will be things I can look forward to, also.

Like, being able to say, “Do your OWN laundry!”

So, I guess it will all balance out. 🙂