There are no baby bottles in my house and no 2 am feedings. There are no diapers and no more potty training. I don't have to pack a bag just to run to the grocery store.
When I was younger, I needed the constant encouragement from teachers, my parents
and even my husband. But not anymore. I'm noticing I don't care as much about other people's
opinions as I get older—I have found a comfort and a confidence in myself.
I thought of all the times that I'd felt left out. I could still feel that hollowness settling in my stomach and that heaviness pressing against my chest when I'd find out that friends were doing something I wasn't a part of.
I will continue to cheer at each milestone we hit—when he learns to tie his shoes, when he masters how to make breakfast, when he starts to sleep in instead of waking up, begging us to play.
Their childhood will move to their teenagehood and then to adulthood, and there won't be tiny little dino jams in the laundry or princess dresses that don't fit anymore. How is it possible for these small, precious pieces of cloth to seemingly rip my heart out of my chest?
As much as I don't love the exhaustion that comes with these hour-and-a-half middle-of-the-night wake-ups over the past couple of weeks—it is our time.
Some days will be full of wonder. Some days will be hard. Let the good days fuel
your passion for learning but don't let the tough ones take the fun out of it.
