The little things

I have been surprised to find recently how quickly you can forget what it's like to have a tiny baby. There are so many little things that you should really appreciate at the time that usually you're too busy or terrified to enjoy until it's too late and they are gone. I was reminded quite recently of something that I used to take for granted just a short 12 months ago, and that is a child falling asleep in your arms. Miss K hasn't done this since she has been old enough to fight sleep till the bitter end, and if she so much as suspects I'm trying to put her to sleep these days she pushes me away. But a few nights ago she was so tired when she got up for her late night feed that she fell asleep in my arms as soon as she had finished her bottle, and it was so nice to hold a sleeping baby. I hadn't realised until that point how much I missed it. When it was the norm, it used to frustrate me more often than not, because she would fall asleep mid meal, and I would spend the whole time nudging and poking her, trying to get her to wake up and finish her drink so I could put her to bed and enjoy some me time. How stupid I was not to realise that this was a moment so fleeting that I should cherish while I could, before she got old enough to put a stop to it.

Miss K 4 days old sleeping in my arms, Me 27 years old trying to fight the urge to join her.

Of course with the loss of each old habit or phase comes new and exciting ones, each bringing its own delights or terrors, and I relish each one as it arrives, as it signifies that my baby is growing up. But there are times when I miss the days when her hands were so tiny that they made mine look man sized in comparison.

See?

But at the end of the day I still wouldn't trade my pint sized terror for anything in the world, I will just treasure our time together more, enjoy our gibberish conversations, learn her each and every ticklish spot, and make sure she knows that no matter who she becomes, she is still my favourite person in the world.

My favourite pint sized terror. AKA - the fountain head.