Kids grow so fast. I remember my mom saying that when I was a kid, but I didn’t completely understand until I had my own little ones.
When I complained to her about how tired I was with my newborn, she said the same thing, and I did not like it one bit. I was looking for reassurance that the interminable nights would end, and instead she reminded me of how quickly the time passes.
Baby Days
I’d be a liar if I said I enjoyed that stage of my life a lot, but there are days that I look at these big children, and I long for the days of sitting in a rocking chair, baby asleep, everything dark except the streetlights, some days until sunrise. Marveling at this tiny life I created; this new soul with a brand new path.
In the dark, just us, the smell of their hair next to my face — it was my favorite thing in the world.
And it did go fast. My mom was right. The older I get, the more I understand this.
My Firstborn
In the blink of an eye, that tiny baby started to walk. Then she started to talk. Before I knew it, I had a child that spoke in whole sentences and asked about the color of the sky.
She became artist who started doing amazing drawings as soon as her hands became big enough to hold a pencil.
And then she started singing, and never stopped. Later, she discovered that she loved musical theater, and now her life is full of music and knowledge about old Broadway shows I’ve never heard about and, since a few weeks ago, dancing. The Charleston, from the 1920s being her favorite for now.
My Second Born
A few years later I gave this child a sister. This new baby came to the world with the hunger of a barracuda and the disposition of a bear. She was born with a scowl on her face, and would stare at me in silence from her crib.
She refused a pacifier, but would hold it in her hand to sleep. Her favorite game was to send it flying in the middle of the night so I could find it. I started having caches of pacifiers all over the house. I still find some old ones in boxes occasionally. She’s now nine.
At one point, at about three months, she refused to nurse, and unlike her big sister who knew what to do, she had to see a nurse to learn how to latch to eat.
Once again, I complained to my mother about how hard motherhood was. She reminded me once more that this too would be a memory at some point. I wasn’t so sure this time around.
One day, this bear baby woke up and decided she was no longer in a war with the world and decided to love everything and everyone instead.
She started walking and talking, just like her sister. She traded her scowl for laughter. And her love for animals, for everything alive, started early.
Now she’s a self-proclaimed animal expert that loves having people quiz her about obscure factoids of said animals, and would talk for hours on end about it if you listen. Sometimes she wakes up at night just to tell me something she forgot to say. And she loves to read.
My Third Born
And then came number three. The quiet, obstinate one.
She’s like the Red River, on the surface there’s peace and smooth waters, but if you look closely, you can see the strength of her power just under the surface.
As a baby, with two older sisters that liked to take her things, she learned that she had to stand her ground. She made both cry at separate times, by whacking them over the head with objects. They learned incredibly early not to take her things.
Now she’s still her same fierce self, but with more giggles. She taught herself to read by asking constantly how to spell words, well before kindergarten.
The only thing she fears is spiders. Even the tiny ones would send her running. She would happily hug a wolf if she could, or climb the side of the house. But a spider is just too leggy, too crawly, for her taste. Go figure.
I can’t believe I gave birth to such strong, passionate beings. They are the light of my days when they are with me, and I can’t imagine my life without them.
I’ve learned to cherish every stage they are in, even the difficult ones.
The Time Does Fly
My mom was right, as usual. They do grow fast. Too fast for me at times.
But it is my joy and privilege to see them grow into themselves, becoming women who know what they want and are not afraid to say it, slowly but surely. Women who will not be afraid to follow their paths, no matter where the road takes them.
And I’ll make sure I tell them, on those days when life gets just a little too hard, that time goes fast. To enjoy today as much as possible, despite the trials it may bring.
