Saying Goodbye to "Baby-Hood"

Lately I have been looking at my three girls.  I mean REALLY looking at them, watching them move and listening to their voices.  I am slowly coming to the realization that I am no longer in the "baby-hood/baby making" chapter of my life.

And I am feeling a bit sad about that.

I mean, I don't want to be pregnant again and I totally feel like our family is complete, yet still I feel a tinge of sadness knowing that those years of swaddling, breastfeeding, changing itty bitty diapers and wiping itty bitty bums, warming up bottles, burping, and 3am feeds are over.

Olivia, my oldest is going to be 8 this year!! She is starting to develop an attitude and while she still very much needs her mommy, there are moments where I know she is not very far from thinking I am just totally uncool.

Olivia - a few days old (July 2005)

Sophie will be turing 4 in April!  She is fiercely independent and while she too also still very much needs her mommy, I no longer get to cuddle her close to my chest  while she sucks her thumb and slowly drifts off to sleep.  Now our bedtime routine consists of non stop chatter as she talks about anything and everything, then a kiss goodnight and she falls asleep without me and without her thumb.

Sophie - about 3 days old (April 2009) looking so much like her big sister as a baby!

Stella, our baby, the one who truly completes our family; well really, she is not a baby anymore!  Before we had her, I always felt like we weren't done, like I wanted another baby.  Now that she is here I don't have those feelings.  She is still young enough that every night I get to hold her close to my chest and snuggle her before putting her in her crib to go to sleep.  I cherish that as I know those days of night time cuddles are slowly coming to an end.

Stella - 4 weeks old (October 2010). I love looking at this photo and seeing such a resemblance to Olivia and Sophie!

Although a full nights sleep is still a few years away, I am trying to cherish every last moment/minute/second of our McG girls being this young.  Because like so many parents before me, these days of our children wanting to be with us, wanting to spend time with us, wanting to play with us, wanting to cuddle and hug and snuggle us, these days are limited and will be over before we know it.