Mom's Milestones

As you know, with any new baby, it's exciting when they reach each milestone. For instance, delighted in Tate tracking us with his eyes, recognizing our voices, holding up his head, smiling, and now we're enjoying him "laughing" and cooing. But now it's time for Mom to get some props.

I reached two very important milestones myself this weekend. First, on Saturday, we moved Tate into his room to sleep. Why this was so sentimental to me, I'm not sure. It's not like he had been sleeping in my arms. But he was just 3 feet away in his cradle, where I could hear his every move (or ignore them when I wasn't ready to get up). As I grew misty-eyed that afternoon, I had to remind myself he's just across the hall now, only steps away. He's not in his crib yet because we have some final adjustments to make, but he's in his cradle right beside it. We figured keeping him in his cradle would make it an easier transition, and it paid off because he has been sleeping great. I guess moving him into his crib will be another big step. It's amazing how the silly things become so important once you become new parents. On the positive side, we can now get ready without tip-toeing, and maybe, just maybe, our room will get cleaned up. Before, our excuses were that he was either sleeping in the room, or we were with him while he was awake.

My second milestone...we left Tate in the church nursery for the first time on Sunday. And for TWO HOURS! (Was I trying to torture myself this weekend or what?) I had to face the fact that there was no way we were going to be able to absorb any information from the service or Sunday school with Tate as a distraction. So, I got all his gear ready Saturday night and even typed out some tips for the caregivers. Not because I'm that anal, but because I wanted to make it easier on them. (yeah, right!) I am happy to say that Tate did wonderfully! He was drowsy when we left him. He slept for an hour, ate, played in the crib, and then fell back asleep in the swing. He was such a good boy! I did much better than I thought I would too, I didn't even use the tissue I had put in my pocket.

Becoming a parent has made me such a softy. I never thought I would be so sentimental about these issues. It's amazing how attached you become to your child. During the service, my mind wondered off to what it will be like when Tate enters college, or even moves out of the house for good and gets married. As my eyes welled up with tears, I had to tell myself, "Whoa, slow down, Mandy!" I don't see how parents do it. But I guess I will someday.