I've been wanting to write this post for a while. As Joey has gotten older we have slowly been replacing all of our "young-baby" stuff with older baby things. We let friends borrow our swing, (extra) crib-mattress, play mat, bumbo, and bassinet. Just before we left to visit the east coast we gave away our last baby-baby thing.... our bouncy seat. I think that one was the most meaningful to me. Our bouncy seat was basically all we used for the first 3 months. Actually for the majority of the first 2 1/2 months, Joey did all his sleeping in it....even at night.
In my new mommies-devotional book there is an entry called "In a Blink"...
Oh Lord,
She grows so fast! It seems like we just brought Anna Grace home from the hospital yesterday. Now she is rolling all over the floor. She holds her head up high to survey the world. She can reach for anything and eventually find a way to get it in her mouth. She's just about to outgrow the infant carrier. We skipped right past the nine-month-sized clothing. Where have the days gone?
When I was a child, time seemed to drag by so slowly. I remember thinking the fourth grade was the longest year of my life. It felt like I wore a size 6X forever. Birthdays took a whole lifetime to come again. Christmas arrived even slower. The days seemed longer, because there was only me to think about and few responsibilities.
Now the days sail by. There is so much to do. The little sweetie who used to sleep all the time now needs one and a half naps a day. The baby who once sat and leisurely watched the world go by now wants--no, demands--some interaction. I feel like I turned around twice and my newborn became an infant.
In a blink, she'll be grown. It rips my heart out to think about it. Lord, if there's any way I can hold these days in my mind, please let it happen. Let me linger at her bedside. Let me hug a little longer. Let me sing one more song. Let me rock long past her falling asleep. By Your mercy, I will remember all of these days and give You praise. Amen.
"The child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." Luke 2:40
Amen and Amen and Amen.
Although it's a small step - (lending out some baby things, until we need them again, and borrowing others - thanks friends for the exersaucer and high chair!) it's another step that leads us closer to clothes that don't end in "months" and first steps, first friends, new carseats, walking, talking....the list could go on and on. It's hard not to think ahead to the birthday parties, reading books, playing on playgrounds, and fun family trips. Right now though, I am eternally grateful that I can sneak into his room at night and pick him up from his crib, and hold my baby, and he is still...my baby, in every sense of the word.
Mocha would like his faithful readers to know, that he too, is growing up! He barely misses his bouncy chair at all, and if he needs a fix, he can visit Ryan and Sarah Notch's house, where BBN (Baby Boy Notch) will be using it, in a mere matter of days!
