Lately I've been wishing that time would stand still for a few minutes every day.
I haven't been watching Heroes this season, but I watched the first three seasons religiously and my favorite character, hands down, was Hiro Nakamura, the guy who could manipulate space and time. I loved the idea that he could move through time and stop it when it suited him. Well, that and he's just freakin' adorable.
Since Annika has made the leap from infancy to toddlerhood I have been missing the infant days. Not just because it was slower, but because now I can see that Annika really will grow up. During the infant stage she needed me so much and was so helpless that it seemed like it would last forever. (Believe me, sometimes I wanted to speed time up.)
So since I am not Hiro Nakamura, what I have been doing to manage my own space/time continuum is trying to take mental snapshots when I get the chance.
I want to remember the way she laughs and holds her head close to mine when she is feeling warm and fuzzy.
Instead of getting frustrated when she wants to spend 20 minutes running around the car and trying to open it with my keys, I let her. I revel in the magical wonderment of keys and locks instead of tapping my foot and wishing she would just come inside with me so I can make dinner.
Last week I started taking baths with her again. I know this is a practice of many folks with their infants, but Annika always hated baths until recently so it was in and out for her with as little fanfare as possible.
But yeah, now she LOVES the bath. So we get in together and she keeps the water running filling her cups with it and dumping it on herself while I lounge in the deep end, amused by her fascination with pouring.
She has been learning so much lately. Every day she says even more new words and she is starting to say things that I didn't even know she knew! That is the magical wonderment of parenthood.
Additionally, with it being Christmastime, I have been thinking about traditions and wanting to make the right choices when it comes to memory-making for Annika.
I have been thinking that I want to make the month of December all about slowing down time, spending it with her and ensuring that her memories of Christmas are not just about presents, but about spending time with her loved ones.
Well that and believing in a fat guy who can fit down a chimney.
Ah, but it just gets better and better ...
ReplyDeleteIt's impossible to slow time, but you can at least be "PRESENT" when it all happens.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you're saying. Enjoy the moment.
I keep a journal for each of my three kids, keeping track of observations of big or small events in their lives. This is for me, but also for them. My plan is to give this to them when they're older so they know what they were like when they were young. Or at least from Dad's observations.
That is so awesome Guy! I keep a journal for Annika too, but I have gotten lazy about writing in it lately. Thanks for the reminder! I need to write some stuff down now....
ReplyDeleteRevel in every minute. It passes so quickly. I can't believe my daughter, Olivia, is already almost two. Of course, I'm still reeling from the fact that my sons, Joe and Nick, are 23 and 18. Enjoy it!! I believe you will be very happy if you can make December a slower paced month with focus on family. Every year I struggle with the balancing act of making Christmas happen while still being merry. I can remember a number of Christmases that were so stressful they weren't even fun. What a waste!
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