When Your Baby Turns “3”

When your baby turns 3, you…

…Think about selling the exersaucer. It’s been sitting in your attic for 2.5 years and regardless of what the future holds, someone else could be putting it to good use right now!

…Sleep through the night on a fairly consistent basis. On the nights when you need to wake up with a child who is sick or has a bad dream, you feel like a zombie the next morning and wonder how you ever woke up several times a night with an infant.

…Can sit around the dinner table and have a family conversation. On the nights when I’m eating dinner alone with the kids, which is most nights during the week, I’ve started asking everyone to share their favorite and least favorite parts of the day. The kids are eager to share, and this also helps us to practice listening when others are speaking without interrupting.

…Do a lot of crazy dancing.

…Can’t believe that it’s already been 3 years since you brought your sweet little bundle home from the hospital. It seems like just yesterday and everyone, including the older kids, gets a little bit sentimental when they remember the excitement of having a new baby in the house.

…Wish that you could slow down time and enjoy your kids, just as they are right now, for a little while longer. They grow up so quickly, and although those first few years of life can be physically and emotionally exhausting, there is a certain simplicity that comes with early childhood. As children get older, problems become more complicated and the stakes are higher all around.

…Think of all of the mistakes that you’ve made, and thank God that she probably won’t remember most of them.

…Relish the mommy-and-me story times and gymnastics classes in a whole new way. It won’t be much longer that you get to romp around like a fool with your child, and you’re going to enjoy every silly second until you are permanently sequestered to the parents’ waiting area.

…Start to really listen to what your baby is saying. She’s not just cute and goofy anymore, she’s actually trying to express meaningful thoughts and ideas, and she wants you to listen and respond.

…Are eternally grateful to God for blessing you with this sweet little person, who gives great hugs, loves to sing “Happy Birthday,” and still wants to drink her milk out of the same Ikea froggy sippy cup that someone gave you 8 years ago for your oldest. That’s okay, because she’s your baby and you’re in no hurry for her to grow up just yet.