Today I had the great joy of meeting a newborn baby of a good friend of mine. He is Nathan and he is everything perfect. I thought Clara was a great newborn (not that I’m biased or anything) but he seems to be an even easier baby!
I base this opinion solely on the 3 hours I was with him, in which he never cried and had his eyes open (almost) the whole time and never needed to eat (he eats every three hours and had finished before I got there and was ready again as I was leaving) and he only got changed once and he only whined a tiny bit when the pacifier fell out of his mouth.
He even did tummy time like a champ. At two weeks old.
Yeah, my jaw is still on the floor.
Anyway, snuggling a newborn made me think of how different Clara is now than when she was born.
Now she opens her eyes (which doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I swear she slept through the first two months of her life).
She is interested in her toys.
She smiles and laughs.
She rolls and rolls.
I can hold her without supporting her head.
She is almost able to sit up by herself.
She is fascinated by lights.
She resists sleep.
She is entertained by everything Ozzie does.
She seems to know her parents.
The list goes on.
And even though all of these are fun and exciting changes, I won’t lie, holding a newborn made me miss the newborn stage. I mean, if I’m being honest, I kind of missed the newborn stage before it was even gone because I loved it so much. There is nothing I love more than a snuggly new baby, even if the baby isn’t mine. I love the little cries and the clueless expressions and the vast amount of growth that happens in a short period of time. I love the laziness and the helplessness.
That being said, I love Clara’s current phase differently, and probably more. Clara is much more entertaining now. She thinks things are funny and she babbles to herself and she reaches for things she wants. She is especially fascinated by cups and she even pretends to drink out of ours. She plays with her toys and rolls around on the floor to get what she wants. She’s even started gnawing on furniture, which I find endearing.
Five months (or so) ago I cherished the snuggles and little sounds. Now I cherish the laughter and the things Clara is learning to do every day.
The other morning (you may have seen it on Instagram) Clara just wanted to snuggle on me for a little while before waking up for the day. Even though it was well past our wake-up time, I settled in to bed for a little while longer with her. Rarely do we have those snuggly days anymore, because now when I hold her she wants to be sitting, flailing, rolling, pulling my hair, playing with my face, scratching, playing with my buttons, grabbing at everything just out of her reach… you get the idea. Even nursing isn’t the same precious time it once was, although it’s still special for both of us (I’m assuming it’s special for her, too, if not – well, at least she gets fed).
I still have the pleasure of cuddling my baby girl at night because she seems to only want to fall asleep in my arms. I know we’ll need to change this habit soon, as she should be falling asleep in her crib by herself eventually, but for now it’s good for both of our souls to end her day with her in my arms. So I’m cherishing those moments before they give way to new moments to cherish.
I guess what I’m saying is that I loved Clara as a newborn and now five months later I love her the same, if not more. I wouldn’t go back in time but I’m very glad I enjoyed her newborn phase while it lasted and I’m glad that even now (as I look around and my house is a disaster and I haven’t showered today and there are un-addressed Christmas cards strewn across my floor) that I’m taking the time to appreciate the little moments of her current stage of life.*
They seriously grow up too freakin’ fast.
* Of course this can be applied to anything… not just children. I wish I had been better at savoring the little things and phases off my own life before, but now I feel like I’m being especially forced to appreciate the little moments, as they’re passing and vanishing in front of my eyes!
