In This Season of Motherhood

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If you have little ones you’ve probably been told at least a thousand times how fast it all goes. This well-worn cliche gets winked across the aisles from little old grandmothers, who in their wise eyes, were in your same shoes not too long ago. You hear it on Instagram from mothers who have grown babies in college. From seasoned teachers and friends of your parents. You hear it all the gosh darn time, and you might even roll your eyes, but you know their right. You know deep down that this is true, if not one of the truest things in life. Some of us cling to this truth by choosing to document the seasons with our little ones, or at least that’s what I’ve chosen to do. Others don’t, and that’s fine too. We all go about this differently, coping as we must, figuring out the best way to preserve the joys we experience in life.

I am going to be using my Rooted & Raw series to collect some of these moments in both photos and words. Pieces of our family’s story that are the real treasures in my life, ones that force me to take in our days and the things I hold dear in slow motion.

Stella Vivienne: 4 1/2 years old

  • Still in love with her hot pink blankie. It was given to her by my birthmother, an item I think I cherish just as much as she. Out of all her blanks it’s this one she wants and has to kiss goodbye before leaving the house.
  • Currently into barbies, playing letter games on the iPad, and meticulous coloring. I remember when she drew her first circle! Now she’s doing color by numbers without going out of the lines. She reminds me more of myself with each passing day, paying attention to every detail, so intentional, so careful.
  • Our adventurous eater, always offering to help me clean mushrooms or peel carrots. “What’s my job mommy?” That’s something I hear all day long.
  • Her favorite items of clothing are her ruby red slippers from nana and papa and anything cozy. We’ve somehow lingered out of the princess dress phase which really does make me sad, but now she’s onto make believe on a whole other level which continues to blow me away. Her creative mind is really beautiful.
  • She told me the other day she is going to live with her husband in our loft when she gets big, and they they are only going to have one baby. Hm. We’ll revisit this one when she’s fourteen. And then twenty.
  • We are astonished daily by what this girl remembers. She brings up stories of when we lived in our old house, trips we took to Mexico years ago with family, adventures to the park before Theo was born. She has a special memory and it serves as a constant reminder that this little human is always watching. Always taking it all in.

Theodore Louie: 2 years old

  • For months we were worried he wasn’t talking as much as he should. A quiet bub, saying things we could not understand and in thee softest voice. I talked to friends and pediatricians about this and was told by others that one day he would start and not stop…not to worry. At two and a half years old he now repeats everything I say like a little parrot and talks more than Stella. I want to bottle his voice up forever.
  • Finally in his big boy bed at night and sharing a room with his little brother. He requests multiple truck books before bed and looks at them over and over and over again. He knows all the things that move by heart and makes the cutest car sounds.
  • If there’s a plane overhead, he’s the first to hear it. If there’s a dump truck outside our window, he comes to grab my finger to show me. He is the most aware of our kids, I love that about him. I think he’ll drive a firetruck one day.
  • Theodore is our gentle little love. He gives me dozens of hugs and kisses a day and tells us “luh lou” over and over. I literally cannot imagine what I am going to be like on the day he gets married. Some days I cry thinking about it.
  • I cannot keep enough clementines around for this boy! He could live off carbs and citrus.
  • We have yet to cut his long amber curls. Not sure when that’s gonna happen. Don’t want to even consider it.

Alfie Francis: 7 months old

  • Four teeth and counting! Those top two are maybe half way in and are pretty swollen, poor baby. Lots of cuddles right now.
  • This month Alfie has been really able to show all of us just how much he loves his big brother and sister. He now takes bubble baths with them, squealing all the while, wanting to be whatever room they are in. Just a few months ago he was swaddled in my arms as the two of them raced cars back and forth, but now he is in the middle of it all, just as he should be.
  • We’ve slowly been introducing solid food and haven’t found much he likes right now. He much prefers nursing and so do I. I am going to keep at it though, hoping he will come around soon!
  • Alf now can scoot everywhere, not yet crawling and resembling more of an injured soldier when he goes from room to room. Our human floor duster, finally…less sweeping for me! And this week I’ve been watching him go from laying to sitting in less than twenty seconds, so I know the crawling milestone is not too far off…which kind of scares me because…more baby proofing.
  • The most laid back, joyful baby. Gummy smiles and the darkest, deepest grey/brown eyes. He is so soulful and so loving, happiest when snug on my hip or clung to my sweater. I cannot wait to see how his personality unfolds as these months turn into years.

How do you feel about documenting the seasons of motherhood?

 

  • Angelina - I love this and reading your blog. It’s so inspiring. I have an 8 1/2 month old daughter and I regret not documenting more. I am thinking of starting a blog just for that reason alone.ReplyCancel

    • admin - Angelina – I started a blog back when Stella was really little and it’s so nice to be able to read and see that season of our lives back then. Blogs are a wonderful way to document! x AmandaReplyCancel

  • Kizzy - I went out for a meal with a group of ladies I met and made friends with when you eldest (now 15) was born and we were discussing this. I’m the only one out of our group with children still in primary school and we were talking about how quickly the time has passed since we had our children. Savor those moment. I regret not documenting more of their childhoods.ReplyCancel

    • admin - Kizzy – Savoring every day for sure…even those hard ones 🙂 Thanks, dear mama! x AmandaReplyCancel

  • Ashley Woodbeck - I’m a new mother. Well, my daughter will be two this year, but since her birth I have been trying to document as best as possible! It seems I’m taking more photos than I ever thought I would, and I do share some things of her & motherhood on my blog (though it is always a work in progress). Also, from the time she was born until a year old I kept a Word Document of things she liked & didn’t like, her milestones, new things she did or learned, etc. I should probably keep up with that a little more!ReplyCancel

  • Michelle - Love this post! Such a beautiful way to document. Do you have any tips for teething – what you do for relief or just any of your favorite tricks? I’m a first time mom with a baby a little bit younger than Alfie, and I’m struggling! Thank you!!ReplyCancel

  • Johnna LaFaith - I love the idea of motherhood posts like this. I think, as a mother, you can’t help but share so much about your children and raising them and trying – desperately at times – to be better at it all. I like the photos and snippets. I’ve been working on 2016 “Meet {insert childs name here}” posts on my own smaller blog, just so the record exists for me, and for them. <3ReplyCancel

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