I used to dread the afternoon naps when my son would only fall asleep in my arms. His weight slowly numbing my extremities. Unable to move, I was reserved to the couch for over an hour, every single day. I could see the dishes piled high over the edges of the sink. Smell the garbage that needed emptied. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my to-do list increased.
I saw a picture of a friend on social media today with her sleeping son in her arms, and my heart ached. What I wouldn’t give to go back to a moment when my son would sleep soundly in my arms. I can barely hold him at all anymore.
Those lazy afternoons spent cuddled up on the couch, quietly watching Netflix or balancing a book in one hand while my little one slept on are a thing of the past.
I wished those days away. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again– there’s nothing on that to-do list that can’t wait for tomorrow. Those cuddles may seem mundane and exhausting, but they won’t last forever.
One day you’ll wake up and your little one will be getting up on their own. Picking out their own clothes. Helping with breakfast. Those baby days that seemed to drag on at a snails pace will seem like they flew by at lightning speed.
Just like the Nichole Nordeman song says,
“Slow down
Won’t you stay here a minute more
I know you want to walk through the door
But it’s all too fast
Let’s make it last a little while”
I wish I could make those days last a little while longer.
After a busy, fun filled weekend and a huge meltdown that left my Husband and I both exasperated and numb, both of us thinking that four-year-olds are the worst… for a short amount of time. I know we will only look back at it with fondness- remembering all of the fun we had, and not the epic tantrum that, at the time, we thought ruined our entire day. The funny thing about memories is that we ultimately remember the good times over the short-lived bad ones.
So, I may be erasing the hot tears I shed over colic and sleepless nights when I say this yet again- slow down time! It’s all just way too fast. I feel like it’s slipping through my fingers like sand, and I only want it to last a little longer.
