When Alivia was born, I asked my sister who has two children (one was 15 at the time and other was 13) if she missed them being babies. She answered without hesitance “no”. In disbelief I asked “really”? I was both surprised and enlightened by her answer! After briefly explaining the things she was enjoying about my niece and nephew’s current ages, she went on to say that she thought of childhood as a temporary place for the child to become their true selves, the adult person they always had been just hadn’t grown into yet. I had to think about it for a few minutes to really grasp the concept, but I was intrigued by the idea. Could it possibly be true?
IT’S FINALLY NICE TO MEET YOU!
I look at my 3 year old today and I wonder WHO she’ll be when she’s grown. Is it possible that we don’t really meet our children until they are adults? I can imagine myself in 15 – 20 years from now looking across the room at a grown woman staring out the window. I’ll walk over to her and she’ll turn around as she hears me approaching. She has a big smile on her face. I’ll hold out my hand for her to shake and I’ll say “I’ve waited a long time for this and, although I’ve known you for your entire life, IT’S FINALLY NICE TO MEET YOU”!
I processed these photos of Alivia from Cape Cod today and all I could think of was how big she looked. I found myself questioning where my baby went. Although I am loving the age she is now, I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit sad. I don’t like that it feels as though the time is just racing past me and my biggest fear is that I’ll miss something important. I try to remind myself, in these bittersweet moments, to step back, slow down, and live in the moment. As of now, I’m in no rush to meet Alivia. I like where we are!
Now I bet you were thinking, I swear her post title mentioned a giveaway! You are absolutely correct; you are not losing it! I was just saving the best for last! My sponsors and I are giving away some wonderful prizes including FREE Ad space, design services, gift cards, and more! Are you ready to enter for your chance to win? If so, have at it then and GOOD LUCK!
If you missed my previous post, 7 Educational Mobile Applications for Kids, feel free to check it out! I listed some really fun ones! Also, don’t forget to come back tomorrow and party with us at The Happy Aloha Friday Blog Hop!
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Ok, seriously Alivia is adorable and your photo editing always inspires me!! And so happy to be a part of your sponsors giveaway. If you send me the rafflecopter (if you want), I will put it up on J9 Designs and try to get more viewers your way, too :)
ReplyDeleteForgot all about the giveaway, actually! With a one-year-old and a four-year-old I do wonder about not having a huggable, cuddly baby or preschooler anymore. I LOVE these stages! My cousin has two pretty grown children and I remember when she held my firstborn she said, "She's amazing, but I'm just happy that holding a newborn doesn't make me miss the baby years. I like the now years better." I hope I'll feel positive about them being older. It's hard to imagine!
ReplyDeleteLove the second photo with the light shining on the side of Alivia's face.
Yes, when kids are little, the time flies, and they DO grow when you blink. My oldest is 16 years old now. Sure, I do believe that childhood is a temporary place, but even adulthood does not remain constant. We, as people, have the ability to constantly learn and grow (more so during childhood, though), and it's important to do just that. So I say - yes, you'll meet Alivia's true self sometime later in the future. But in the meantime, she's influenced by you and all that is around her. Cherish it and embrace it. We only get one childhood. We gotta make it count. =0)
ReplyDelete~Kim
Oh, and thanks for the giveaway, by the way. I'm off to enter now.
I never thought of it that way, but it is true. I loved the baby stage but it is fun to watch them grow into their own self as well! Thanks for the giveaway as well! I entered!
ReplyDeleteYour daughter is beautiful. I do miss having a baby in my house but at the same time I don't miss those sleepless nights. I have three kids and I love each of their current ages too.
ReplyDeleteShe is just too cute! I love the photo on the top left :) It's amazing how fast they grow up!
ReplyDeleteI wrote a post very similiar to this about my little girl too. She'll be five and I'll be registering her for kindergarten after this year and even though that's half a year away I'm already freaking out about how fast it went, how my baby is a little girl now. Great photos. Here's my post about little girls growing up too fast
ReplyDeletehttp://glennbabies.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-battle-of-time-with-my-little-girl.html .
Angela @ Time with A & N
I don't miss all of the baby stuff, only the cuddling and the sleeping all day. I love the 3's so much more though!
ReplyDeleteShe is a beautiful little girl and someday she will be a beautiful woman. My children are grown now with my youngest leaving for college next month. I love who they have all become.
ReplyDeleteMy baby goes to school next month and I don't know how to handle a quite house. Your little girl is adorable.
ReplyDeletewhat a cutie pie she is!!!! ♥
ReplyDelete