Changes

Things are changing around here.  Life is happening and heartstrings are being pulled in all sorts of directions.  It is our job as parents to nurture and grow our children, to keep them safe so that they can successfully reach the next milestone.  We anxiously await that first word.  We throw our hands up with delight when those first, wobbly steps are taken towards outstretched arms.  And in that moment, we are the proudest parents.  We are beaming and oozing with enthusiasm at our little peanut's achievement.

These milestones that we greatly anticipate seem to happen in an instant.  One minute our baby is cooing and kicking on the floor and we turn our heads for just a second and she has rolled her little body over.  One day she's crawling around eating carpet lint and the next she takes her first steps. 

And there is no going back.

After the cheers have quieted and the photos of the first smiles and the first steps have been taken...
After these unbelievable accomplishments have been marked on the calendar and properly documented...
After all this, comes the realization that a chapter in their life is over. And although there are many more words yet to be written in their life stories, those chapters are complete.  Unchangeable.

And upon the completion of each chapter, I too must adjust and move on. 

New feet jammies.  So the other ones can get washed. 


This week we officially started potty training.  And overnight, we went from changing diapers to handing out potty treats.  Even "practice treats"  for the false alarms. 

Little sister ROCKED this potty training thing.



There are no more diapers and wipes in my bag.  There is no more change table or diaper pail in her room. The congratulatory potty song and dance is starting to fade.  And even the potty treats that were motivating hundreds of practice potty runs earlier in the week have nearly been forgotten about.

Chapter: Diapers and Potty Training

Complete.  

Now we have moved on to Princess and Dora panties and a skinny little bum in her size three pants.

The only evidence left of our baby is her crib.   

Starting this new chapter in our lives this month is weighing on my mind.  Because this month our story would have been different.  And some chapters are just harder to close and sign off on than others. 

But life keeps happening.  And the proof...

...we are planning a party.  And being 5 will definitely be the start of a new chapter for Callie.  And tonight I can't even let myself think about those changes because of my delicate emotional state.  But I can tell you, I was witness to one of those changes first hand when I took her to her first ski lesson on the weekend.

Girl didn't need any encouragement this time.  She was confident and excited.  She wanted to be fast and first... of course.



All these changes and closing of chapters combined with the recent loss of a family friend, I am feeling vulnerable.  I'm taking extra care and caution.  Being sure to snuggle Lexi just a little longer before I tuck her into bed and approving Callie's request to have quiet time on the couch past her bedtime. 

We are turning the page in our family book.  And we have some great things coming up.  Some of these things may involve pirates and some others may include passports.  I can't wait to see how this story unfolds.

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, For all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” Helen Keller