Milestones

Being the mama of four little ones, I daily run into the problem of trying to find balance. Often times I feel like each day is an either/or situation. Do I clean the house, or spend time playing with the kids? Do I do school with the olders, or spend time with the youngers? Do I have them clean their room, or have them play in their room while I get some peace to myself? It's hard, when you're right in the eye of the storm to see that you can find a balance there, and not drop one thing in order to accomplish another.

The busyness that comes with having four little ones often overshadows the milestones made by each child. Especially when it's a younger child learning to do something an older child has already done, I need to work extra hard to make sure *this* child is made to feel just as special, as if I've never seen this done before, and they are showing me for the first time.

Knowing that Molly is my last baby, I often will stop in the middle of doing something "important" (i.e. washing dishes, folding laundry, checking email, knitting) and make myself remember to see each one of her new discoveries as something amazing. This is my last opportunity to relish in the babyness of my children. Her infanthood is quickly coming to a close and toddlerhood will sneak up on me in the blink of an eye. So, I sit and watch as she discovers the wonders of finding tiny bits of food under the dining room table. As she delights in herself at learning to pull up on the coffee table. As she finds that she can move from one side of the room to another, and finally get to those things she wants. And, when I'm finished watching her show me all of her new tricks, I pick her up and snuggle her tight and close. Knowing that soon she will be too wiggly, too active, too independant to want to be held close and long to mama.

My olders are no longer babies. They no longer want to be held and carried around all day. But I know that they are still little. I know that they still *need* to be held and babied now and then. I need to pull them into my lap, put my arms around them and read them a story, sing them a song, tell them how much I love them, and just sit in peaceful contentment. I need to remember to do this more often. Connecting, relating, loving, exploring - these are the things that are important in childhood; in life. More so than having a clean kitchen, or responding to each email. I will remember this. I will.