Memories are funny things. Some of my strongest memories from childhood are moments that I cannot remember the context of, but can vividly recall the smell, sound, feeling in my chest, etc. It's the same way as an adult. Some of my very strong memories are just snippets of seeminly normal moments.
Example: I will always, always, always remember a moment during my maternity leave where I was sitting and watching Little Bug play in his exersaucer. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon, he was wearing a white onsie, Jon and Kate+8 (minus the divorce drama) was on the the background, and the lights were off because there was a lot of natural sunlight streaming through. That's my memory. There is nothing special about it other than the fact that I feel happy when I think about it and that it is seared into my mind.
Last night I made another one of those memories. Little Bug loves to splash in the water and yesterday he had gotten something particularly sticky in his hair. Instead of putting him outside in his beloved splash pad (with all the mosquitoes), I removed his baby tub and let him explore the full bathtub upstairs. This alone would have interested him, but I also used our Boon Flo to keep a safe stream of water flowing for his enjoyment. Every once and a while I would unplug the drain to let some water out, creating a safe amount of water without sacrificing his favorite part of the experience.
Why is this a memory for me?
Since I knew he was going to be in there for a while in lieu of splash pad and bath time (I washed his hair at the beginning to get that out of the way), I put on my new blue swimming suit and got in there with him. He was less interested in me than I vainly though he would be, but it was fascinating to watch him "up close" as he explored the different things he could do with his hands and water...and the whole evening was different than our norm, which was nice.
Why the swimming suit?
Just in case Little Bug is starting to capture some of his own precious memory snippets. No need for mama's boobies to be rattling around in his adorable head.
Oh, and perhaps I'm able to enjoy the sweet glow of motherhood today because J.Mohr and I both got 9 hours of sleep last night!
Sleep = happiness
I have a very specific memory like that of our oldest son, Isaac. He was about 3-4 months old and it was so cold outside, but very sunny. I had just changed our sheets and had the shades opened so the sunshine was just pouring in. He was laying on the freshly made bed dozing in the sunshine while I folded clothes. Everything about this moment was complete perfection for me--the clean, flannel sheets, the warm sunshine on a bitter cold day, and the perfect child. I think of it all the time. Just thought I would share!
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