They grow up so fast, donโt they? Mommy Blogger Nikita Camacho (AKA Hearts in her shoes) reminds us to cherish each moment.
โMommy does this fit me?โ After a pull and tug of last seasonโs top, the cuff of the sleeve sits 2cm above her wrist. I can almost hear the collective sighs of mothers everywhere.ย It is evident that with a new season comes the physical evidence that our babies, our children are growing up too fast.
As eager as my little one is to grow up, I internalise my emotions of trying to keep my little girl small forever. How do they grow so fast?
I reminisce about the freshly washed onesies on the washing line after my baby shower as I tried to envision the tiny tot that would soon fill those outfits. As new parents, we could not wait to meet our little girl. The pure giddinessย and the anticipation of not knowing how your baby will look was so overwhelming.
How can you etch a memory in your mind? Do you look at old photos of your little one and cannot recall that the chatting child in front of you now was once a tiny, helpless baby?
When your baby arrives, it is a blur of dirty nappies, sleep deprivation and countless feeds. You are so frighteningly consumed with keeping this little baby alive, as the handbook of How to Take Care of a Baby ย is not handed out to you as you leave the hospital. This new fear so overrides your emotions that you forget to admire the onesie that is a tad too big for your baby as you leave the hospital. That drive home is nerve-racking despite your years of driving experience.
You do not realise how quickly your little miracle in the backseat will grow. In the first six months, your baby will grow at an estimate of 1.5 to 2.5cm a month. By six months, your baby will have doubled their birth weight: amazing yet bittersweet.
Then the day arrives when you squish their chubby foot into the onesie and think, โMaybe, one last time itโll fit,โ then the press studs pop open again.
Another month, another clothing size done and dusted. This mommyโs heart canโt hold it together, so off the clothing goes into storage for a future sibling.
So what is the upside of a growing tot?ย It gives you a new view of life as you experience life through their eyes, the wonder of new discoveries as they meander their way from one milestone to the next. Thereโs the sweet mispronunciation of words like โgoggyโ instead of โdoggyโ. You will notice when those cute mispronunciations are self-corrected.
By four years old, your little one boasts a vocabulary of over 1ย 000 words. Itโs quite impressive for someone just over a metre tall. The bombardment of questions may have you googling on the side. I know I have. โMommy, how do elephants sleep?โ Andย the cutest,โMommy, do doctors fix sore hearts?โ
Your pocket may hurt with the rapid growth spurts, and so will your heart as you face the reality of your baby growing up. I can promise that the joy that comes along with it, does outweigh your seasonal pain.
Looking at the cropped pants, and short tops that need replacing again, my frown melts awayย and my heart then doubles as I feel a pair of little arms wrap around my neck tightly.
โHug time, mama, I love you.
โI love you the most,โ I reply with the biggest smile on my face. Thinking back now, each milestone and outgrown outfit is worth it to have precious moments like these.
