When I think about time I often think about how life moves too quickly. The fast pace of our lives robs of us cherishing each moment as we should. If there is one thing becoming a parent has taught me, it’s that time is a cruel thing and it doesn’t ever slow down.
It starts with the moment you find out you’re pregnant. You’re carrying and growing a life, a life that you and your husband created. You see a little bean like human at 7.5 weeks of gestation on the ultrasound machine and you take it for granted, because you can’t quite make out that human form yet. You get anxious about knowing the gender and wish time would go a little faster to hit the 20-week mark. That’s when it first hits you, time please slow down – I’m already halfway done growing our baby. Over the next 20-weeks, you watching your body change and see your baby growing with each ultrasound (if you have more passed 20-weeks). You feel your belly grow, feel those flutters turn into kicks and rolls, and before you know it, it’s time to meet your baby.
They come crashing into the world in the most beautiful, terrifying, and wonderful fashion. It’s a moment you wish you could hit rewind on and re-live over and over again. You can’t get that moment back though. You’ll find yourself trying to relive it, trying to hang on to every little moment about it. The days in the hospital are a whirlwind of nurses, doctors, specialists, visitors, and you blink and you’re going home. Your time in the hospital is over.
This is when it all speeds up even more – you get home. Although there is such a special feeling attached to bringing your child home, this is when things really don’t slow down. Your bombarded with visitors, you’re not sleeping, your life is not your own. Please don’t get me wrong, all of those things are so wonderful in their own ways, but it makes time go too quickly.
You are home with your few day old baby and the days and nights run together. You are sleep deprived to the point that you can no longer even hold your eyes open. Then slowly those days get longer and the feedings become more spaced out. You watch as your baby grows to become more independent every single day. It starts with intentional smiles and holding their head up with so much strength it amazes you, then they start to giggle and almost roll over. Before you know it they’ll be mobile and needing you less and less as the days go on. So don’t take a single second for granted – time is a cruel thing and it’s not stopping for any of us.
As I reflect back on the last three months, it amazes me how quickly it’s gone by. How quickly time robs us of those little moments and memories. Take the pictures, spend intentional time with your family, be selfish and keep your baby to yourself, snuggle when you want to clean – just soak it all in and be present in every moment. Take the time to record every little detail in your brain, because before you know it, it’s changing again and you’re longing for more time in those moments. It’s a bittersweet ride as a parent – we are lucky to be able to watch our kids thrive and grow, but time is still a cruel thing.
Soul on Fire 