525,600 Minutes

I’m feeling sappy this week as you can tell by my writing, but this week has been full of all the feels. My babies are growing up, on one hand I’m so happy to see them grow but on the flip side it just seems to go so fast. My son turned 1 yesterday and I am in disbelief, it feels like he’s been here forever and yet not nearly long enough.

The title of this post is how many minutes are in a year; it’s the number of minutes he has let me love him earthside, it’s all the smiles I have seen, it’s all the snuggles I’ve received, and all the giggles he’s had. There has been (and still is) more sleepless nights, poopy diapers, and crying fits than I can count but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. My children have made my heart so full it could burst and there is still a lifetime of adventures for us to do together.

With all the parents I have talked to over the years they all say how fast it goes, people always wave it off like I will be happy when this stage is over because of blah blah blah reason. Then they get to the next stage and it’s like I just want to go back!! I was like that a lot with my first born when she was little, couldn’t wait to get to the next stage, but now with my second I don’t want to rush him. I want to soak in both my baby’s littleness, innocence, smooches and snuggles because it won’t always be like that. In a months’ time there are so many changes let alone a year. This time next year I won’t be able to smooch and cuddle on them like I can now, they will be even more independent. It’s amazing how much difference a year can make.

Being a parent can be bitter sweet, you hope you teach your children to grow up and be independent people. Then the time comes where they are, you feel happy and proud that they can do it and yet at the same time they didn’t need you to accomplish it. For instance, my daughter zipped her jacket last week start to finish, I was so proud of her; then my son stood by himself not holding onto anything, I was so proud of him. After the moment passed of cheering their accomplishments I was crying inside, I literally felt like I could feel the tears running tracks down the inside of my face (if that makes any sense at all), having a moment of, “WHEN DID MY BABIES GET SO BIG!” Excuse me while I go blow my nose.

There is so many emotions I feel right now thinking about all this; pride, sadness, joy, disbelief, but most of all love. Being a mother to my children was what I was meant to do in this life. Raising tiny humans is the hardest job I have ever done but it is also the most rewarding. As bittersweet as it can be I look forward to what the next 525,600 minutes will bring.