Firsts on October 17, 2009

Jensen and Maddie are changing so fast and I have to face that they are growing up. It's not going to happen tomorrow but it is happening. There are changes everyday. It's all so bittersweet. What a perfect word. I wonder how many parents have used that very word.

Maddie's Birthday HatI recently stopped breastfeeding Maddie. That certainly was very bittersweet. I always expected to be jubilant when I got my boobs back. On the contrary, I'm rather sad. My little girl isn't a baby anymore. She's a toddler. We won't be having any more children so I won't see the baby stage again (until grandchildren come along). Such a strange time to miss. Maddie was a very difficult infant. She did not adjust well to sleeping. She still wakes up and is rather loud as she tosses around before settling back down to sleep. It's always enough noise for me to get out of bed and make my trip to the potty but 9 times out of 10 she's back asleep before I'm ready to go into her room so I'm able to go back to bed.

Instead of tripping down Diva Lane I should get to my point. My purpose in writing today is to tell of two milestones, one for each child. This morning I was preparing to feed the cats when Jensen picked up the empty water bowl and headed to his bathroom. Jensen TubeHe climbed up on his stool and held it under the faucet. I turned the water on then after a moment (barely enough to wet the bowl) Jensen got down from his stool and carried the bowl back to the cat room. He followed that up by quickly reaching down into the cat food bag to retrieve the scoop. He held the scoop in one hand and dipped back into the bag with the other hand. He began filling the scoop with small handfuls of food (5 or 6 pebbles at a time) then he poured the scoop into the cat bowl. It was adorable! I could have simply said that he fed and watered the cats but the cute factor would certainly have been lost.

Moving on to Madilynn. Jensen had a plate of dry cheerios in the living room as a snack this morning. It ended up on the carpet just like most snacks. Miss Maddie started picking up pieces and I assumed she would eat them but she started putting them back on the plate. She repeated this several times removing all doubt that it could be a coincidence. Again, adorable!

I’m constantly reminded of everything I would have missed had I decided to remain childless. Yes, my life would be easier and I could pursue more of my own interests. Lord knows I struggle with that everyday. But to miss these smiles, triumphs, and even the tantrums would make me less of a person. To not have these children would leave a void that the childless could never understand. So anyway, those are my cute developmental stories for the day.