6 Reminders to Enjoy Your Child at Every Stage

I remember welcoming our first baby girl into the world and all of the excitement we shared with our friends and families. Along with the excitement, it brought a ton of advice on how to be a parent and people wanting to share their personal experiences.  The thing we heard the most, even from strangers, was to enjoy your child it because they grow up so fast.  Man were they right!

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Those nine months of being pregnant seemed like 9 years and each day passed slower than molasses!  Once the baby arrived, the first two months seemed like 2 days!   Newborns start out as this tiny little 6lb ball of precious and before you know it, they turn into a 35lb 3 year old full of sass and opinions.

I remember talking with Trisha on our usual early morning commute catch-up sessions about our life; mainly the kids. Her oldest little boy is 7 months older than my oldest little girl.  We were talking about what big new thing Aubrey was starting to do and Trisha said, “Aww, I miss when Ris was that age.”  And I remember telling her, “I don’t miss any of Aubs’ passed stages – I loved every single stage that she went through and each one presented challenges and huge rewards.  I remember Trisha telling me she loved my mentality and as such, I knew I wanted to write some small reminders to appreciate your baby at every stage.

• Live in the moment with them:  

  • Smile and be present.  We are so consumed with our phones, work, cleaning, cooking…. But think of everything we are missing out on!  I do my best to put my phone away and allow my children to have my full, undivided attention while they are playing, learning, or talking.  There is plenty of other time in the day for me to scroll through Facebook but I make a point to live in each moment with them.

• Realize that it is a big deal:  

  • They only have their “first time” – one time!  The first smile, the first roll over, their first steps… be excited for them!  Every small milestone is a big deal in their constantly changing world. Celebrate it with them!

• Understand that each day brings something new:  

  • No two days are the same.  You won’t get yesterday back so enjoy it while you can!

• Find the excitement in the challenges:  

  • Some days are rough. Sometimes it is tough to hold it all together and remain calm when your baby is crying or your toddler is having a meltdown.  But I challenge you to stay calm; your child can sense your emotions and if you are calm and happy, they will be calm and happy!  Take a deep breath, a step back, and realize that this moment will pass just as quickly as the smiles.  Enjoy the challenging days because they are still precious moments to be treasured.

• Don’t wish your current stage away:  

  • It is so easy to say “I can’t wait for them to be able to crawl.” “I can’t wait for them to be able to talk.”  “Or I can’t wait for them to be able to start soccer.”  But as soon as those changes happen, which they will, you will be wishing for the opposite.  I wish they couldn’t move and get into everything or maybe even a few moments of silence.  I’d love to sit at home tonight and watch a movie.  So while you are always excited for what is new and what is around the next corner,  there is always something you will miss.  Enjoy the phase you are in!

• Take notes: 

  • This one is very important to me.  Life is busy and moments pass by so quickly. It is hard to remember every milestone, every precious moment, and every funny story.  So I write them down! I keep a file on my computer where I store all sorts of things that my girls do and say.  I find so much joy reading about what my daughter was doing when she was just a baby.  This way I get to relive those little moments and get excited to write down our new ones.

I’m so happy that I am getting to re-live all of these stages all over again with a new little person and able to see my oldest daughter continue to grow and develop and add a new role of being a big sister.

How do you stay “in the moment?” I’d love to hear your thoughts!