Just Wait...

Give it time...
It WILL get better.
These are all things we tell new moms or second (or third or fourth) timers when they have a newborn.
I remember feeling so defeated after having Mackenzie, hopelessly wondering when things would improve. When would she stop being so fussy? When would she be less of a pooping, sleeping blob and actually be fun? When would she start sleeping better? When would I feel some sort of connection with my new daughter?
I was told to just wait. Just wait until six weeks, eight weeks, three months, six months.
And then it all suddenly happened.
She started sleeping through the night. She could sit up on her own. She was developing a personality and becoming more of a little girl and less of a baby.
And then, suddenly, I missed her being a baby. I missed the sweet feeling of her falling asleep on my chest. I missed the little socks and the kitchen sink baths and the gassy smiles and the soft, quilted Pampers Swaddlers.
And you'd think I would have learned my lesson. Learned not to wish time away.
But I already find myself wondering when Braden, now eight weeks old, will be able to nurse less frequently and sleep for longer stretches. When will he be able to self soothe and fit into bigger clothes. I'm already sick of the infant carseat and drenched burp cloths and cluster feeding.
Really??? Now that I know how quickly the time goes I'm STILL looking forward to the next set of milestones?
Yes, really. Because I'm tired. And I look forward to the day when I can bathe two kids at once and they can be best buddies and play in the yard together. I know I'll be nostalgic for the new baby smell and the tender, curled up cuddles. But I won't miss having to pry Mackenzie off of Braden when he's doing tummy time. Or rushing through her bath because he's crying in his crib and I just don't have enough hands to make everyone happy all the time.
But this is one of the burdens of motherhood. We run ourselves into the ground taking care of our kids and there just aren't enough hours in the day. Not enough time for the laundry and the cooking and the cleaning. And most importantly not enough time to enjoy our kids as much as we want to. They simply grow up too fast. And we become so busy with the responsibilities that come with mothering that we often forget how fleeting time can be.
So moms, take a second to stop and embrace the moment. It will be gone in a flash.