There is a ton of interest in the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair, and for good reason. This versatile, attractive and well-made high chair is one of the best baby products on the market. Many parents have questions about the ins and outs of the Stokke Tripp Trapp, and in this post I’ll go over…
In an ideal world, all of our children would love to go to school, love to learn, love to work on their reading comprehension and writing skills, and be effortlessly talented with numbers. As a parent, it’s natural to wonder how to get your child interested in school. In reality, kids sometimes dislike studying. And there…
If you have a young kid, you know the appeal of superheroes. In this gift guide I’ll go over the best Spiderman toys for the superhero fan in your life. Spiderman ranks as one of the all-time classics. Kids today are just as into Spiderman as they were decades ago, so it’s no surprise that…
This weekend it struck me: My daughter, who is just a year old, will never know a world where there hasn’t been a woman in the White House. And until the age of 41, I’ve never known a world where there has. My kids will never live in a country where there hasn’t been a…
Today my baby became a little boy.
The change has been coming for a while, even if I didn’t quite realize it. His movements shifting slowly. A difference in his stance, his face, his gait.
I didn’t see it happen even though I saw it happen, every second of it. That’s the way it always is, isn’t it?
I nursed my baby before his nap today, and when we were done (and we’re almost done now, for good) he had changed.
Asleep in my arms it was clear. In my baby’s place was a little boy: Messy boyish hair, long limbs, lean body replacing the pudgy body I’ve grown used to.
There was no denying it.
And so I held him today for longer than usual.
I held him like the little boy that he is now: head heavy on my shoulder, the weight of him substantial.
I let him sleep on my shoulder for a long time, knowing that as long as I sat there holding him, feeling the heavy weight of his little boy body, he would stay mine.
I could freeze time, just by holding him, just by sitting very still in this one spot. And when I put him down, as I would have to do eventually, the freezing of time would no longer be possible.
And just like that he will grow and grow and grow until he is grown.
There is no denying it.
Enjoy it while they’re little. Everyone says so. They grow so fast.
And that phrase seems both so totally true and so totally false at the same time, because in the day to day of it nothing seems fast at all. A meal can take an eternity. A sleepless night a lifetime. And yet everyone says so:
They grow so fast.
And so I want to hold him in my arms a little longer today, because already my baby is gone. Already there is a little boy in his place.
And one day not too far in the future there will be an older boy in his place, and then a teenager, and then a young man. And so I keep holding him: heavy on my shoulder, the weight of him substantial, in his nursery where time stands still.
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Annie is speechless. Her little pal is growing up so fast.. So pretty Liz.
This is an absolutely beautiful post Liz. And one that is so very true. “The days are long but the years are short.” Is that how it goes? Whatever it is, when we mamas have those moments of awareness of just how amazing and hard and fast and slow and all of it is all in one fell swoop, well it’s nice to stop and acknowledge them. And you’ve done a lovely job of this. Motherhood often defies descriptions. But you’ve taken a good stab at it! Miss you friend 🙂
Beautifully written, Lizzie!!!!
Wow, great post! Make sure you have Nolan read this himself in 10 years or so- he’ll get a kick out of it.
Oh Liz. On this day-Harrison’s 18 month “birthday” this post makes my heart heavier and my eyes well up. We try everyday to live in the moment and enjoy the day with him and your words, as they always do, hit home today. Thank you.
Happy 18-month birthday to Harrison! And thanks for taking the time to comment. I think this stuff hits home for people because we are all going through our own version of a universal experience. There’s just no getting around it…
Yes, my dear.
There is no stopping time.
Kids are the most evident example of that.
This was such a touching piece. I held all my nieces and nephews tighter today, as they all grow too fast. Beautifully said, Liz!
Thanks everyone. Nolan started to walk like a real big kid today and it just hit me that he is really growing up!
Liz, This is so beautifully said. As I watch Nolan becoming such a big boy it makes my heart both happy and sad. I love to watch his face light up when sees you and now he can run to you with those busy little legs and you will know for certain that he will always be “your little boy” just as you will always be my little girl.
Thanks Mom 🙂 I love you.
Oh this made those tears I have been trying to keep back just fall right on out of my eyes. My own wonderful little guy has been changing before my eyes and I can no longer see him as the chubby little bundle he used to be. He’s running and climbing and stretching out all over. It happens so fast as we watch it! Thank you for this post! Beautiful!
It’s crazy how it all happens, isn’t it? Yesterday it just hit me with Nolan. He started walking like a big kid all of a sudden, and I could just see it – the change – all at once. It’s bittersweet! Thanks for writing 🙂