. . . in the blink of an eye . . .

once upon a time, i was a mom who really wanted her sleep!  in fact, i wanted my sleep so badly, that i adhered to a very strict schedule with my babies . . . encouraging them to sleep through the night at a very young age . . . and in their own beds.

there is something sacred about our bed – don’t want kids climbing into it at all hours of the night, unable to sleep in their own beds . . .

with this last baby – the sixth baby – our last baby . . . .

she makes a move, we all cheer.

she cries, she gets picked up.

she doesn’t want to go to bed, we snuggle her.

she wants a toy, we give it to her.

she wants to sleep in our bed . . . we let her.

in fact, most nights, i let her fall asleep in her own bed, and then i sneak into her room, and pull her into bed with me . . . fall asleep staring at her, and the Stefan puts her to bed after i am asleep.

i could stare at her forever.

with all my children, it has been the same . . . when they are sleeping . . . it’s as if i could stare at them forever . . . like something will happen – like they will change right there in front of me.

and they do – slowly ( because I don’t see it . . . )

but one morning you wake up, and they are one.

one morning you wake up, and they are walking, going to school, riding their bikes, picking out their own clothes, calling girls . . .

one morning, you wake up, and they have changed – they have grown up .  . .

i am determined to hold them as much as i can . . even if it means not getting enough sleep . . .

~

Happy Birthday Sarah Beth!

This year has gone by far too fast!!!!

~

 

~

Exactly one year ago, I was waiting for this precious baby.

I was thinking I had another couple of weeks . . .

I was waiting . . .

and now, my dear friend is waiting . . . .