Don’t Blink

I remember when Evan was born. Every person I encountered alerted me that the time goes by fast. “Don’t blink,” they said. I was caught in a daze. As a sleep-deprived, always hungry milk-producing machine, all I was concerned with was making it through another day. Once Sadie was born, we heard it again. “Don’t blink,” they said.

I wish I would have listened. I wish I would have kept my eyes open a little longer, and worried about the days a little less. We recently celebrated Sadie’s first birthday, and I am all kinds of emotional. This year brought another year of firsts and lessons learned. I grew as a mama, for the better. Not only did my husband and I both grow as parents, but we watched our little mister grow into brotherhood. He is truly exceptional and has matured before our very eyes. “Don’t blink,” they said.

Yesterday, we were nervously running around to get out of the house with the demands of two children’s schedules. With school on one part of our mind and nap schedule on the other, at times I felt frantic. “Don’t blink,” they said. In the midst of the preschool debate, we were struggling to comfort a teething baby. While she wouldn’t eat, our Mister had a horrible stomach virus. We were exhausted, tired, and worn out. “Don’t blink,” they said.

Then, I blinked. The year has passed and here I am, planning another birthday party. Another year to celebrate how far we’ve come as parents and the milestones our baby girl has reached. I’m scared to blink again, I’m not ready for her Bat Mitzvah or Sweet 16. It’s true, time does go by too fast.

By the way, when they say “don’t blink,” they don’t mean it literally. You should still try to sleep through the night.

Don’t you feel that time speeds up with each kid you have? —Jennifer