“Isn’t it amazing how little you can get done with a baby around?” A farmer friend asked us. We laughed and said, “Yes!”
Some days all I do is nurse Waylon, change his diaper, and hold him. When I try to do something else, he calls for me again, and I pick him up and we bounce or dance or eat. A few days I have felt a mixture of frustration and disappointment as I feel I am not helping Edge on the farm at all, and then he reminds me again of all I’m doing, just as he did when I was pregnant. Mostly, though, I drink in these moments with Waylon, and I remember how I’d giggle as a little girl when my mother would tell me, “I blinked and you were born, then I blinked and you were 2 two, then I blinked and you were five…” How can a month have passed already? I realize that he’ll keep getting bigger, and I savor these days of rocking with him, the endless kisses on his plump little cheeks, the cooing and gurgling and humming sounds he makes as he nurses, the way he stretches his arms up like he’s superman each time he wakes.
So as the days begin and end and keep on going, I am learning that getting things done is not as important as simply being with Waylon and watching him discover the world. And though he grows each time I blink, he has slowed my pace down, and for that I am thankful.
Beautifully put, Katie! Enjoy him while he’s little, because you WILL blink and he’ll be grown…just like your Mom said 🙂
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Sounds good tome!
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Enjoy this time. Your mother was right! It passes way too quickly!
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A friend of mine, feeling frustrated like you are, timed how long it took her to nurse and multiplied it by how many times a day she did it. Then how long it took to change a diaper, and multiplied that by how many times in a day, then changing wet clothes… you get the idea. It was an 8 hour day JUST doing baby maintenance! Remember that. You ARE doing VERY important work!
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Katie- I felt the same exact way with Everson and it wasn’t until I had to go back to work as Dean at my school, doing 10-14 hour days, that I realized how much I’d rather feel like I was doing very little (even though I wasn’t) then feel so powerless over my ability to raise my own child. Nothing hurts more than kissing him goodbye in the morning knowing he has experienced so much without me by his side. If you have the ability to spend those precious hours with him, cherish every moment. For some, that is not possible. John and I are trying to figure out a way for me to stay home at some point because the toll that it has taken on my psyche has been immense…
He is gorgeous and you are such a great mom. Wishing the three of you all the best.
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I’m going back to work after Thanksgiving, but only for three days a week. Already, though, I am sad to think about getting him used to a bottle and pumping instead of feeding him myself. I’d love to be home the whole winter, too, but I’m happy that I can at least be here part time. I hope you are able to find a way to be with Everson~thanks so much for sharing~
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Greetings Katie and Edge…and beautiful Waylon! I understand everything you feel, Katie. My children are just about grown….they are seniors in high school and looking toward their futures on their own. What a blessing and a challenge it has been. Savor each moment life gives you and take as many moments as you can…for all we are and all we have are pictures in our minds and memories of times and love shared with the people and spirits most important in our lives. I am grateful to have met you and know what an amazing woman and mother you are. May life bless you and your family and fill your days with moments of stillness and silence and gratefulness. Love to you my wisdom friend. Hope to see you soon.
Love and blessings,
Carla
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