Mama Snapshot: Soaking Up the Now

Somehow, my tiny newborn daughter has turned into a beaming and chunky six-month old (seemingly overnight). Although I mostly hate how time seems to fly right through me lately, there are so many things that I love about having a baby as opposed to a newborn. The older León gets, the more connected with her I feel. As I watch her sit and eat and growl and laugh and squeal I feel like I am finally getting to know her. It has been so much harder to bond with her because of my high energy three-year old who takes so much of my energy.

As Summer has been coming to an end, we have been spending somewhat of a ‘staycation’ at my husband’s parents’ house who live in the small town of Monmouth where both my husband and myself grew up. There is a calmness in our small hometown that isn’t found living in downtown Portland and it’s so refreshing. Everywhere I look, I see memories of my childhood and I love that.

A couple days ago it was sunny and warm (but not hot). I know these beautiful early autumn days are numbered so I try to get outside with the kids when we have one. My in-laws live only a few blocks from a little park. It’s a park that I used to visit as a child. It’s called the “purple park,” as all the toys are purple. The toys are redone and new now. They replaced the old wooden toys with plastic ones but the toys are still purple. We strapped León in the adapt ergo and let Vincent run wild through the park. My husband climbed the trees and I admired the changing leaves and soaked up the warm sunlight. León was calm and awake the whole time in the adapt. She just watched and looked at everything.

Small trips as a family like this one fill me up. The trips with no agenda or rushing. No time constraints. Just the four of us, perusing through the grass. Laughing, playing and soaking up the now.