After putting away the maternity clothes, digging out clothes that haven't seen the light of day in about 9 months, cleaning years of Fred fur and dust off of the bathroom light fixture, I stopped to lay down on the bed and see how Jacob was doing.  He  was awake, and seemed content  just looking around at what the world (or at least the bedroom) had to offer him.  The moment I laid down he turned his head towards me and smiled.  His first real smile.  It was in that second that I melted and for the next 20 minutes we both just laid on the bed and stared at each other.

During our 20 peaceful minutes (Tabs is at school today), I was reminded of something I pinned on Pinterest the other day.

Dear Mama, Babies Don't Keep.

You cannot get this day back.
You will never have this moment again.
Firsts only happen once.
At some point he will be too big to “wear.”
He will not always wake up every hour.
The ”brand new” scent only lasts for a bit.  
His squeal will soon become words.
His gums will soon sprout teeth.
Tantrums make funny stories.
Tiptoeing into your bed in the middle of the night is just a phase
Sooner or later he will stop holding your hand in public.
Someday he will call you Mom instead of Mama.

 

Sometimes I get so caught up with thinking about what needs to be done, what's happening at the office, what will I make the family for dinner, how dirty the house is, wondering why my 3 year old can't do a simple task I ask her to do without a tantrum, how I would organize the house if I ever had a free moment again, wondering what happened to my simple life, multi-tasking every moment that I get, that I have forgotten how quickly this time goes.  Tabitha is no longer a baby or a toddler...she's a preschooler, and Jacob, while still new, is already five weeks old.  Time flies...people always say that, but it's not until it's too late that I think we finally figure it out. 

At some point I started to cry...all of those hormones that I thought had gone away were back and it was then that I finally made a resolution for 2014.  For 2014 I resolve to live in the moment and to cherish every moment with my children (even when they are pressing every button).  It will be too soon that they will be out of the house and on their own.  I resolve to spend more time one on one with Tabitha and Jacob, while not doing other things.  I resolve to spend more quality time with my husband, instead of wondering what's happening in the Facebook world.  And, I resolve that while doing all of these things with my family that I will not feel guilty about the house that didn't get cleaned or the organizing that didn't get done or the deadlines that are looming at the office. 

Here's to 2014!