The most useful and home hitting advice I’ve ever received since I’ve had Arjun. It’s probably applicable to a lot of things in life. I often find myself worrying about the past or attempting to plan for the future and I often forget to live in the present.
… This very moment…
Now.
Sometimes I wish I could just stop, sit, close my eyes, breathe and become aware of my surroundings instead of being so scatter brained with the millions of things I have going on!
Nothing lasts forever …
Not the bad times nor the good times so cherish every single moment. The good, the bad and the ugly – for one day they’ll become distant memories.
I don’t mean it in a negative way, I mean it in a positive way. Enjoy each and every phase of your baby’s life – life’s simple pleasures.
1) Rock a bye baby: He won’t want to be rocked to sleep forever so embrace it – I had so much advice around rocking and not doing it. But why not? It makes my heart melt that my baby boy took so much comfort in my arms wrapped around him, the sound of my heartbeat against his dinky little ears beating to the rhythm of my gentle rocks. He doesn’t want that anymore. He doesn’t want to be cradled because nothing lasts forever. Now he puts himself to sleep at nap times 🙁
2) Sweet Dreamin’ with Mama & Papa: He may not always want to sleep in your bed. I love having Arjun snuggled up close in the comfort of being with mummy and daddy. Co sleeping won’t last forever either. Our issue with co sleeping is that none of us actually get much sleep! Do what works for you and remember that nothing lasts forever – we already cramp Arjun’s style on the days he does end up in our bed!
3) Let a Baby be a Baby. I used to have terrible OCD where the slightest bit of “dirt” would gross me out. I’m so happy and proud of myself for overcoming parts of that since having Arjun. Yes he makes a mess when he eats, yes my cream coloured carpet has now turned a shade of beige, yes it means I have to clean a little more but guess what?
Nothing lasts forever.
I’m lucky that Arjun likes to eat, so what if he makes a mess? He’s a baby. Soon it’ll pass. Soon he’ll be eating with a knife and fork and clearing up after himself and I’ll miss his mucky face and clearing up after him.
4) Teef: Yes the sleepless nights are tough with teething, yes you may feel like you’re at your wits end, yes the sound of your baby’s cry may make you want to break down out of sheer helplessness or just because you’re fed up and frustrated. That’s ok. You’re not alone.
But remember nothing lasts forever.
Like many things baby related, teething comes in waves. It’ll soon pass.
5) Peekaboo’ing: Sometimes Arjun wants to play at the most inconvenient times but I remember that nothing lasts forever. We laugh hard and play for as long as he wants. Soon he’ll be too grown up for it and it won’t humour him as much. Soon he’ll be a big boy.
6) Climbing Mountains: The stairs – this used to drive me absolutely mad till I stopped and reminded myself …
Nothing lasts forever.
To Arjun the stairs are like a giant mountain, it’s fun and exciting. I want him to grow up enjoying outdoorsy things (although I’m talking about the stairs inside!). So now, I help him climb. It’s a game and we enjoy it together. I love the sound of him squeal with excitement as he reaches the top. Instead of stopping him, I now show him and support him because even this won’t last forever.
7) Tele Addict …: Allowing your baby to watch TV is very much an issue of contention. The truth is I did let Arjun watch TV from a younger age than I probably should have (around 3 months) but it helped calm him and it gave me a little time out especially during my recovery. Thankfully the likes of Baby TV are actually educational (not that he understood anything back then!). I used to worry about being a bad mummy allowing him to watch TV. Guess what? He barely watches TV anymore. I miss the days where he’d be entertained for half hour while I’d do what I needed to (selfish I know). I wish I’d not spent so much time wallowing in guilt – I wish I’d remembered that nothing lasts forever.
8) Prison Kissies: Arjun loves playing a game where he sticks his face through the baby gate and wants me to come and give him a kiss from the other side (usually while I’m cooking or cleaning in the kitchen!). He then moves along the gate and wants me to come follow. This can go on for ages. Sometimes I’m in the middle of cooking something on the stove, or my hands are covered in food, or I’m just too tired but I stop because nothing lasts forever. My baby boy may not always want to so willingly kiss me as he gets older. These moments are my most precious. Stop whatever you’re doing when your baby wants to play, it may be the last time they want to play it before they move on to a new game.
9) Sleep Cycling: Because that’s exactly what it is. Your baby may sleep for weeks through the night but guess what? Nothing lasts forever. That pattern may be disrupted by teething, by sleep regression, by growing pains, by a nightmare. When you’re having a tough night, remember nothing lasts forever. Soon you’ll be back to a phase of good nights. But make the most of that too – as nothing lasts forever.
10) Drama Central: Arjun’s tantrums can be pretty dramatic (I wonder where he gets that from!). It can be frustrating and draining at times, but it can also be quite cute (bad mum I know!). But remember nothing lasts forever. Soon he’ll be able to communicate through words and he won’t react in the same way so make the most of their animated antics.
Cherish every moment …
Hug them a little tighter
Kiss them a little longer…
Because nothing lasts forever
x
Love this post, nothing lasts forever , for good or bad!! Lovely photos too ️xx H
What a lovely post! Nothing does last forever and they grown so fast. I’m glad I took lots of photos from the day Sylvia was born. She is now seven and I love to see little pictures of her. It reminds me of when she was my little baby!
Angela at http://www.daysinbed.com xx
Gosh, what a lovely post! It’s definitely something I’ve been thinking a lot about with Aria recently. It’s so important to remember and cherish all these moments! Aria is the same with the stair gate and kissing through it! It’s so adorable – I seriously hopes she does this forever! 🙂
I can completly relate to this lovely post. With an 18 year old I can tell your the years will fly by in the blink of an eye!
What a little cutiee pie! OCD is hard when you have little monkeys, i try my hardest to keep our house nice but would really help if everyone muddled in or didnt mess it up aggghhh #snotallaboutyou
This left a lump in my throat…I think I’ll be giving my little one a longer hug and maybe an extra few 1000 kisses when I get home 😢
Such an important post, time just flies by, I can’t believe A is almost 20 months and I already feel as if my baby has gone! #thelist
Love this thank you I agree with the above x
Ah such a lovely post. You are right we should cherish all these moments, as before we know it things will have changed forever. Thanks for linking up to #TheList x
Thanks Hun xx
🙂 x
This is so important – I use to wish time away by saying things like ‘won’t it be great when’ but you just have to live in the moment and cherish it. Thanks for linking up #snotallaboutyou
Beautifully written post! quite true, nothing lasts forever so I totally agree that we should cherish every moment we have with out little ones, including the naughty ones too. Lovely pictures too! #BabyBrainMonday
Awww this is a lovely post Harps. It’s actually left me quite emotional. It’s so true though that nothing lasts forever and you need to cherish each tiny little moment. They grow up so quickly.
Laura x
Too true it’s all over far too quick enjoy it all whilst it lasts the good and the bad #babybrainmonday
Lovely post hon – and amen to that! Although sometimes I really do have to stop and remind myself of that fact! Thanks for hosting #babybrainmondays
Totally agree with this post! Especially the bit about ‘Let a Baby be a Baby’. Sometimes parents are too quick to stop children from doing things and learning from their mistakes. #BabyBrainMonday
Great advice! I love Arjun 😍 x #babybrainmonday x
What a lovely post, it’s made me a little emotional. I agree with it all. It’s hard being a parent but we won’t always be their number one and they won’t always be as close and cuddly with us as they are now. One day they won’t need us. We have the odd treat night of co sleeping with our toddler but never with our baby, the sleepless night turns us all into monsters the next day. I really enjoyed reading and thank you for hosting!
I know Ive read this already, but I had to read it again. What a beautiful post, it’s so true and it always brings a tear to my eye. You are such a beautiful person. xx
I loved this post! Everyone used to say to me “oh enjoy it just now it won’t last, the grow up so quick” i was always like yeah yeah! now holly is 2.5 years and i feel like crying everyday! haha
Great post
Lx
http://workingmumy.blogspot.com
#BabyBrainMonday
I enjoyed going over your post again – your games & fun are so precious, it’s lovely to have it documented to look back on. .And don’t sweat the mommy guilt – as you say, nothing lasts forever. #BabyBrainMonday
What a lovely post!! Absolutely love your pictures too, such a lovely little boy! Your post reminded me of many nights laying bed thinking about all new things Mia had done that day and the wondering how long she would do them for. What i have taken from having Mia is that it seems things last forever, good and bad, and they really dont. Its quite a scary thing sometimes. We should all spend more time enjoying what our children are doing as it sometimes doesn’t last long! #BabyBrainMonday
I thought that today when my son was driving me totally insane!!!!!
I love the prison kissies game – so gorgeous!
x Alice
#babybrainmondays
That is so true. I co-slept with my oldest for the first four years. It was rough but he eventually did sleep in his own bed. He’s thirteen now and I can’t seem to get him out of his own bed. LOL! I still remember those sleepless nights with him in my arms though. Memories that I will forever cherish. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from #babybrainmonday
Such cute pictures! And yes I agree that as mommies we must cherish every moment for they grow so fast! It’s seems like just yesterday I had a 2, 1, and infant and now here they are 5,4, and 3! Thank you for hosting #BabyBrainMonday.
This is so true, and a brilliant post! & really cute pictures! #babybrainmonday
Very true. And as you say important to remember for the good and the bad. #TwinklyTuesday
Very wise words! Thank you for sharing your lovely memories and photos too. I really didnt concentrate on the ‘now’ with my first. I had terrible OCD and I was moaning for my old life!! I embrace every moment with both of them now and I love every stage there go throug, even the teething because Edwin gets a cute little tooth at the end of it!! #BabyBrainMonday
Gorgeous post hun and it is so so right. Nothing does last forever and so much of that resonated with me. Word of warning though…don’t think the tantrums are going to disappear when he can talk…they don’t and then they start darn well being cheeky verbally! I do have to try and not laugh though! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
I think this thought all the time – try to live in the present! I spend so much time writing about the past and planning for the future, today almost gets forgotten! More since blogging! I’m trying to blog only when my boy sleeps so I can concentrate on him only when he’s awake. Time flies far too quick! Sabrina xx
#twinklytuesday
I agree that nothing last forever so enjoy the moments. Babies grow to toddlers and toddlers grows to kids fast. In ablink of an eye so yes we parents have to cherished every moments!
Love the prison kisses too! My son is 5 now but we still do this the stair balustrades =)
#TwinklyTuesday
I’m very sorry to hear about your grandfather’s passing hun.
I loved this post hun. We so easily forget to just take a minute to live in the moment with our children, even the bad ones and you’re 100% right. These moments pass by in the blink of an eye and before we know it our babies have gone to being toddlers and even bigger and these moments are long gone. Lovely post to remind everyone to stop and take a minute with our children xx
Visiting again from #babybrainmondays
Ah this is lovely Harps! And so true. Sorry to hear about your grandfather xx #BabyBrainMonday
You’re so right – they grow so quickly and time goes by so fast! #fromtheheart
It really does!x
I think some parents think “cherish every moment” means they should be smiling and doing cartwheels through even the toughest moments of parenting and I think you’re take on it is much more realistic! It’s so easy to be tired or distracted and forget that they will be this little for only a short while. Thanks for sharing #fromtheheart
Thanks Hun. It’s true – it isn’t always fun and games but then everything is just a phase x
This is a beautiful post. I agree with all of it. Sometimes we tend to overthink things rather than just trusting our parental instincts and enjoying our little people while they are small. Thanks for sharing 🙂
So true! Thanks for reading x
Wow! These are all so true. I was thinking abotu rocking tonight, he is already too heavy for me to do it for very long. I know that withing the blink of an eye I won’t even be able to lift him (even if he’ll let me). I desperately miss having the three of us in a bed, some of my happiest memories are watching my boys sleeping beside me. Thanks for sharing #fromtheheart
Thanks for this message Hun – just put things in to perspective for me. Been stressed as he’s been in our bed again for a few weeks but you’re right, it isn’t going to last forever so I should just enjoy it! xx
So true. And so many stages you cant wait to end, but then strangely miss when they do end. But the next stage is generally just as exciting as the last (and frustrating!) #thelist