Smooches and Snuggles
The season of having little kids goes by way too fast. Everyone talks about it, but you never understand how fast it goes until you have little kids yourself. It’s been hitting me lately that some of the small gestures/features that are a common thing right now, will not be as common in the coming years.
Ever since my oldest was born he has been a cuddler. I partially think that’s due to us never putting him down when he was an infant, but I’m okay with that! Just to paint a picture - we can be sitting on the couch watching a movie and even though he is sitting right next to me, he will crawl on top of me like a little kitten and curl up in my lap. Recently, however, I have noticed that snuggles are not as common as they used to be. I would like to think it’s just a 2-year-old phase, but I know that eventually he won’t always want to snuggle with his mom.
The other day I had all the kids in the living room, and we had Disney music playing in the background. We were all dancing and wiggling our hips to the upbeat songs, but then when slower songs came on, the kids knew that they would get turns dancing with mom. I love it when slow songs play, taking turns holding each kid as close to me as I can without squeezing them too tight. They rest their head on my shoulder, and we just sway back and forth enjoying the snuggles. They don’t know it, but dancing with them could easily be my favorite part of the day.
Along with wanting to dance, they also love singing nursery rhymes. Kaison is starting to sing along with me, and the twins do gestures like honking a horn, or climbing. A gesture that all three of them can now do is blow a kiss while making the “smooch” sound. It’s so cute to watch them blow kisses to each other or to us as we leave the room.
While all these little smooches and snuggles are great, it SUCKS that you don’t get to experience it for very long. If you’re a new mom or going to be a new mom, I know that there will be days that you are just solely focused on surviving and keeping it together. I’m telling you to take the time to focus on how small their little toes are, how their hand wraps around your pinky finger, and the small smile they give you while they are napping. I was thinking about how tiny Kaison’s hands were when he was little and now his hands are half the size of mine! It’s like I looked down, blinked, and now he is holding my whole hand!
I won’t tell you to enjoy every single part of motherhood, because I don’t think it’s possible, and because I do not enjoy every part of motherhood. However, I will tell you that magic happens within the small brief moments of motherhood, and we often overlook them. Be purposeful and recognize these moments. Savor the slobbery smooches and the sweaty snuggles for as long as you can momma.
