A couple of days ago I broke out the Clorox and warm water and completely disinfected the Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper. It's been around for almost 3 years now, but I had never really taken it all apart to wipe down all the plastic pieces and launder the fabric parts. I think it was about time, huh?This jumper has served us well. Silas did his share of jumping in it, and now Liam is following suit. It's mostly a great way to contain and entertain little ones when you need to focus on a task without wondering if they're eating dead bugs or pulling up on wobbly furniture.
But just like all the other baby gear, it'll soon get packed away and stored in the attic. The bouncy seat and swing are already there, and the baby tub and bumbo seat are sitting below the attic door waiting to join them. It reminds me how short the season of babyhood really is.
Liam is already crawling and pulling up on furniture. He doesn't like to stay in my arms nearly as much as he used to. In fact, he'd rather not. He only allows me to rock him during the night while he feeds. He puts himself to sleep. He can shove baby snacks into his mouth all by himself. He can explore his world without me having to carry him around.
The first 6 months are nearly gone. And the season of babyhood is slowly slipping from my grip.
I watch Silas undress himself and climb into the bathtub on his own. I watch him climb the big slide at the park and ride his tricycle all by himself. All the things that he used to depend on me for he can now do without looking back. Many days I look at him and wonder where my toddler went.
Earlier this week I posted this on Facebook, "I'm sure there will be MANY things I will miss about having little ones under foot, but feeling like I could fall asleep standing up probably won't be one of them." And it's true. I won't miss the lack of sleep, but I WILL look back one day and be thankful for it. And I know it will pale in comparison to the things I will MISS about this season.
Liam cheeks are so chubby and his two-teethed smile melts my heart every day. I'm gonna miss that.
Silas' giggles are so sweet and his colorful stories come from the deepest parts of his imagination. I'm gonna miss that.
Life is so raw right now. It's simple. It's pure. I'm gonna miss that.
