Coffee and Cocoa Puffs...

Lots of "monumental moments" in my mommy-world have happened this past week, and I'm finding myself very reflective as a result. It's time like these where I wish time could just stop for a moment so I could make sure that I'm all caught up with everything and not missing anything, but I know that I can't. So, on mornings like these, I grab a bowl of cocoa puffs (an outward attempt to cling to childhood days) while I sip on a big cup of coffee (the reality of the stage of life I'm really in), and I pour my heart out to Jesus...

You've probably seen this quote from me before, but it is one I go back to a lot:
We have nine months to hold our children close to our hearts every second of every day, and then a lifetime of learning to let them go.
While I didn't get to hold Gabriel right NEXT to my heart for nine months, he certainly was right there IN my heart as I prayed daily for God to bless us with a child, and all the while his birthmother was carrying him and caring for him. Well, yesterday, March 26th, Gabriel turned 9 months old, and it also fell on the day of the week he was born, so he is 39 weeks old now. Since he was a c-section baby and his birth was scheduled at 39 weeks, he has now been outside of the womb as long as he was inside of the womb. I can't help but think of his precious birthmother and hope I have cared for him these past 9 months in the same loving way she did his "first" 9 months...I have treasured every snuggle, every smile, and every moment with this precious gift we've been given in having Gabriel as our son. He is a daily reminder to me of God's power and promises. My heart overflows every time I hold him close and see him smiling at me. We are truly blessed!

So what all is Gabriel up to at 9 months old?  Like I said--lots of monumental moments this past week!  He is now crawling like he's training for an Olympic event, and he often resembles a tornado as he breezes through a room. For example, when I was teaching piano on Tuesday afternoon, he literally crawled from where I was sitting to the other end of the room, dumped a drawer full of toys into the floor and then headed into the hallway, all in a matter of moments! (It's hard to find a sitter now that track season has started up, so all of the youth seem to be busy.) He also loves to chase balls across the floor and has started pulling up on things. He still is just sporting two teethers, but I can see some others trying to pop through, so I imagine those will happen before he hits ten months old. He may not have a mouth full of teeth yet, but he sure is able to chomp down a mouth full of food! He loves any kind of fruit or veggie, puffs, mum-mums, and baby cereal. He also loves his bottles, and he makes it VERY obvious when he's wanting one! But, other than those impatient moments, he's a very relaxed and easy-going little boy, and SO so very happy! He has the biggest smile and loves to stick his tongue out like the Cheshire cat as he grins away. His sissy can ALWAYS get him to crack a smile and laugh, and I think I maybe heard him trying to say her name today. It came out "la-la-la-la" but still:) However, that wasn't his first word. Apparently, all of DH's hard work paid off, because on Friday, Gabriel started saying "da-da." It's so amazing to hear his sweet little voice saying it repeatedly, and I'm pretty sure it melted DH right down into a puddle!

Gabriel isn't the only one with some monumental first moments this week though. Lucy had some, too, such as her very first school field trip today. The pre-k class got to go to the zoo today, along with a trip to McDonald's, and boy did I ever have one happy little 5 year old on my hands! As for her momma...well, I practically had a panic attack over the whole thing:/ I know it's silly, but I was just SO stressed out over her going on a bus somewhere almost an hour away without my supervision...even though I fully trust the person who was driving the bus and I'm good friends with one of her teachers. I was flooded with so many what-if's to the point that I considered keeping her home. But I was reminded of the phrase God gave me and continually brought to my mind during those 9 months that I got to hold Lucy close to my heart:
You've been called to live in FAITH and not FEAR...
I had to ask myself if I was willing to submit to that process of learning to let go just a little more. Sending a child off on a school field trip may not seem like a big deal to most moms, but for some reason it was a pretty big deal for this one. I think I also felt so guilty that I couldn't be there to experience it with her today, too. But, I loosened my grip a little bit more, and I poured out my heart a whole lot more to my Heavenly Father who I know loves Lucy even more than I do.

So what exactly does one do to celebrate such monumental moments as a mommy? You pass the cereal next to your two packets of splenda, munch on your cocoa puffs and sip on your java.  In other words, you tuck those precious moments of the past inside your heart so you can easily find them again, all the while enjoying each second of the present so you're sure to not miss another memory in the making.  You welcome the firsts all the while being thankful for the past that has made them all possible.  And you smile--at the beauty that surrounds you because of the grace that has been poured out upon you...