A New Season

Many moms who are finished with the infant/toddler years like to tell those of us still struggling with them "Remember, this is only a season."  It is meant to be an encouragement; to help us refocus and remember that our kids will not be little forever. In fact, our kids will not be little for long at all.

Here's the problem: sometimes I don't want a season. I just want an episode. Then, a nice six day break until the next episode. Apparently when you sign up for motherhood, you don't get to check the episode box. You're only offered the full season package, and maybe a few grandparent breaks if your agent is good. And so, I am trying to remember that while dealing with whining, training, discipline, diapers, laundry, sippy cups and bottles, there are two little kids under all that dirt and rice cereal.

It's not really all that hard.

Today we were grocery shopping and out of nowhere Gracie reaches up and gives me a hug. When I leaned in a bit to hug her back, she got her arms all the way around and hugged me hard. I had to stop right in the middle of the aisle because I couldn't move my arms and was hunched over. I didn't mind stopping. I could hardly stop kissing the top of that little red head.

Yesterday Mark was babbling away to himself, and reminded me of when Gracie used to do the same thing. Back then I said to Robert, "I can't wait until she's talking. I wonder what she is trying to say!" Of course, now she is talking, and I still wonder what she is trying to say...

This week Grace has, on multiple occasions, shown love for her brother. She kisses him on the head. She says "Uh oh baby!" when he cries or gets stuck in his travels around the house. In the store today, I was feeding him a bottle as I was walking, and I had to pause to get something from a shelf. She turned in the cart to grab his bottle, and held it so he could finish. She brings him toys and covers him with blankets. She also hits him over the head with wooden blocks and kicks him if he gets too close to Tickle Me Elmo. We're working on that part.

Again I find myself trying to remember to enjoy my season with the kids. I'm not always successful - just ask Robert. Sometimes he comes home and I'm the one drinking from the sippy cup, looking for a blanket and babbling incoherently. No one in the early mom stages will tell you it's easy (unless their agent got them a nanny thrown in with the package) but we all feel it's worth it.

We all appreciate our children, I think sometimes we just wish they came more in episodes than seasons.