March was a big month in our house – we did a lot of growing up in a short period of time!  My son turned nine (nine!) which I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around, frankly.  How are we just one year away from double digits?!  While the birthday celebration was more than this mommy heart could handle, my daughter also successfully potty trained in like, ten minutes.  I exaggerate slightly, of course, but she amazed me with how quickly she trained.  After a mere two days of reminders and timers, she took the lead and started going on her own with no looking back.  She’s even been dry when she wakes up from nap and overnight!  My son’s potty-training journey was quite a different experience than this, so I’m just in disbelief!

While birthdays and milestones like potty training are happy moments of growth, I must admit that I myself have been having some internal struggle about the changes recently.  For those of us who are parents, we know that time can be such a thief.  The days can be long (loooooooong) but time somehow also moves so quickly.  We blink and our children have completely changed right before our eyes.  I’m not sure if it’s my awareness that my daughter is very likely my last baby, or if I am just having a moment, but I’ve found myself weepy a few times, seemingly without good reason.

One of the first teary moments snuck up on me while I was watching my son happily play his Nintendo Switch under a blanket on the sofa.  He was wearing his birthday gifted headset and animatedly talking (yelling!) with his friends in the game, and boom – mommy tears.  He just looked so OLD.  He looked like a big kid.  He may have some crazy Mr. Wilson (Dennis the Menace) chicklet teeth and he may still love his bed filled with stuffed animals, but there is something so grown up about him.  In that moment, my baby was nowhere to be seen.  Sniffle.

Funnily enough, the potty-training chronicles also made for a misty mommy (more than once!).  While upstairs making the bed and getting ready for the morning, I heard little feet downstairs followed by the toilet seat going up.  I walked down to see my daughter just sitting on the big potty, toilet paper in hand, with a big smile.  She was so proud.  And BIG.  In that moment, my newly turned three-year-old looked like such a big girl.  Cue the tears.  Where did my baby go?!

I know that as my children continue to change and grow, there will be countless more moments that make my heart swell with love, pride and yes, ache.  For the time being though, could someone stop cutting onions?  I’m running out of tissues over here!

Warmest regards,
Kim