Milestones

Kiska Rose

She's a busy little squirrel-bait.  

Always moving.  

Always exploring. 

She is ready to go as soon as she wakes, and will only succumb to sleep if I lay down with her. 

The Naturist

 

When she would get tired her battle cry would change from, "I go see." or "Ina minute." to " Unnha nurse, mommee. Yoouu 'it 'ere an I nurse you." She would be out in moments and I would lay her in bed. Sometimes she would wake enough to demand that I lay with her. My arms must be placed just so. One for her pillow and the other across her chest. 

Last week I decided to give weaning another try. I've always been a fan of child led weaning, but I have been having a really hard time enjoying this "run by" nursing stage. Sometimes 20 times a day she would want to sit and recenter with a moment of nursing. I don't have a problem with the centering....but the nursing was getting on my last nerve. 

So every time she would ask to nurse I would tell her that we don't nurse anymore that we just cuddle. The first two days were really hard. Then her asking became more sporadic. She climbs up into my lap to cuddle a lot. Sometimes she'll say, "Momma, we no nurse. We cuddle." Then she'll snuggle in and lay her cheek against the skin of my arm.

It makes me sad, a little. 

It makes me happy, a little. 

And it reminds me of how very very precious the bit of time I have with them is.

How quickly it passes.

How soon they will be grown with little ones of their own.

 Auri identifying flowers for Kiska

 

See that beautiful girl on the left? It seems like it was just a couple of months ago that she was my dragon baby. She weaned a week before she turned two. When I went to a women's celebration. It was a bittersweet thing then too. She was a little ball of crazy. She would cuddle up with me at night when she went to sleep, just like her little sister does. She'd place her sweet, chubby little hand on my face and say, "My mommmeeeee."  I'd place my hand on her face, the face that was still small enough for the chubby little cheek to fit in my palm, and say, "My Auurrriii."

Now she's almost as tall as I am and we wear the same shoes.

Milestones are meant to be celebrated....not mourned.

Sometimes it hard to remember that.

But I will remember the moments.

I will remember the laughter.

The tears.

The tantrums.

The sleeping.

The waking.

The smiles.

The excitement.

The sword fights. 

The leapfrog.

The accidents.

The interruptions.

But most of all I'll remember......


Innocence and Wonder.