Sunday, January 18, 2009

Four Little Words

There are certain things we wait for our kids to do. Things we teach and sometimes dwell on. These things include saying "Mama" or "Dada", crawling, walking, and so forth. I recall Landon coming home every night from work when Parker was a newborn. He'd hold him and say "Dada" over and over again. He'd move Parker's mouth with his thumb while he was saying "Dada". It was cute at first, but promptly got annoying. Months later, what was Parker's first word? Kitty, but Dada was the second.

I was the one who encouraged Parker to crawl and walk. I remember getting down on the floor and showing all my kids how to crawl. Owen had the army crawl down at four months and almost skipped the full crawl. He needed extra encouragement with walking. Zoe, well, we should have pushed her down. She hit all her milestones too early. Landon's grey hair will attest to this.

We encourage our kids, sometimes we push them and sometimes we are surprised by them. It was to my delight last week when Zoe came up to me and jumped on my back. This wasn't the surprise. The surprise was that she pulled my ear close and said, "I love you mommy!" There was no prompting other than our daily good morning and good night love. It was just there. It is a happy "first" that I hope to always remember.

It is so easy to loose the joy of being a parent and lately it's been a daily struggle. But, moments like this are rejuvenating-So thank you Zoe Kaye. I have a feeling you have wisdom underneath all that silliness.

5 comments:

chelsea mckell said...

beautifully written.
seriously, you are a talented writer. humorous yet sincere.
And you're making me so anxious to hear my own little girl say those 4 words!

Unknown said...

I love when Addison comes at me and gives me kisses without any promting. They are very few and far between, but for sure, my favorite moments! I can't wait until she starts talking and says "I love you, mommy!" and then I'll wish she couldn't talk when she starts saying "I hate you, mom"!

Ivy Lou said...

I really enjoyed reading this post. I had to wait so long for Abi (for a baby, period) that taking time to enjoy her comes often. In fact, I could easily stay at home with her the majority of the time with quick outings for food and play. Mitch will come home some days and we are still hanging out and he worries. But, We are just having a day of just being and it is totally okay. I know that sometimes we get restless and we really need to get out and I am greatful for you starting Vernal Moms. It has given me the opportunity for lots of things that we haven't done before. Thanks Carrie!

chelsea mckell said...

so... I have this friend, Carrie, who used to be a blogger. Any idea what happened to her?!

:)

Jackie said...

Where are the pictures of Zoe's hair?