Today I rocked my 2-year old son for a long time. Normally, he's either running or asleep in his crib. There's no in-between for my youngest. But today, he's sick. So at nap time he wanted to "Wock, mama. Wock." And what mama could resist that sweet plea? So we "wocked" in the rocking chair that has rocked a million miles for him and his brother.
He snuggled his warm forehead against my neck. I rested my cheek against his soft hair and breathed in the clean smell of last night's bath. And as his body relaxed and his breathing became slow and even, my mind began to wander...
I began to think about all the things I needed to do. There were phone calls to make, emails to return, dinner to make, laundry to fold, things to paint... I was just about to slip his warm, sleeping body into his crib and start doing some other things when a thought crept into my head.
There will come a time in the not-so-distant future when we will have our last rock together. He will get bigger and won't want his mama to rock him until he's able to sleep. Oh, maybe he'll snuggle next to me on the couch or even rest his head in my lap while I smooth his hair but the rocking days will end.
Thankfully, I won't know when we're having our last rock. There will just come a day when I'll look back and won't remember the last time we sat together in that well-worn chair.
So, for now, we'll rock.
107 comments {Click here to leave a comment}:
I think of that, too. And when will they bring me the last bouquet of dandelions? I, too, am thankful that I won't know this is the last time. I just need to savour them now. Glad you were able to do that today. Thanks for the reminder. Hope your baby is up & running again soon,
kristen
Are you trying to make me cry. Rock them while you can, and don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't.
Reading this post, I can close my eyes and I'm rocking my babies, sniffing them. And now my youngest is 13! And the list of things to do is still there, so enjoy all the rocking you can now. A tear in my eye...
I've thought about that last rock often. My baby is almost 3, but thankfully still loves to rock too. And it doesn't matter where...porch glider, rocking chair, office chair...whatever rocks. Rocking is such a comfort for both. We have many miles on our chair, and hopefully we'll have many more :)
-Hayley
This is so precious! We won't be having babies, but we will be adopting. I don't know if they will be rocking age or not, but this post makes me hope that they are. :)
Oh, Kimba, I've been there too. It's a conscious decision to stay in the moment and refuse to be drawn away. You won't remember today's laundry, but you will remember that precious moment with your son.
Sometimes I am thankful when my son is sick because it forces us to both slow down and just "be." God uses that opportunity to benefit us both. I am honored to be the one who gets to hold him, even though I am sometimes torn.
Bless your heart. I'm having a rough second as we speak, dinner is overboiling, and my middle child is ready for a nap. At 5pm? I don't think so! So we're on the couch cuddling right now! We'll miss these days. There's nothing like it.
Good stuff! Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury is a precious book about all the lasts a momma has. I'll rock my busy little one a little longer tonight. Thanks.
What a precious post...so thankful God gave you that special moment today!
I have 10-year old twin girls who still love to be rocked! Once in a while they like to have their special alone time with mama in the rocking chair. This is normally what I do when one of them is upset or hurt, and they just love it--still. I'm going to keep rocking until they don't fit in my lap anymore!!
I remember waking up (a rare occasion) at midnight with my crying 2 year old last year. As she had her head on my chest and her long legs dangled on either side of mine, I burned that moment into my brain. She's a busy one, too...those special times are too, too sweet.
Bless his heart! I hope he feels better very soon!
You know, even when they're almost as big as you are or even bigger--as mine are :)--they still want to be cuddled when they are sick. I still love to smell their sweet freshly washed hair when they are snoozing! They will always be your baby! That will never be taken away from you. Just enjoy them while they are still at home. The time flies so quickly! That's one thing you can't change.
Hugs,
Susan
This is the sweetest thing ever :)
Check out some etsy love over at my place!
Thank yo so much for that reminder! I just posted about being woke up in the middle of the night and how it is sometimes so hard to cherish the moment when you are so exhausted. You are just what I needed this afternoon...thank you!!
Love the post! My 2 1/2 year old is the same. But he also has trouble waking up to get his sisters from school. Yesterday we sat for a long time while he woke slowly!
Oh...I hope I never get rid of my rocking chair. I am still rocking my little one and too often I am somewhere else or looking at the clock just waiting to get going. I need to savor that time.
Good reminder! My youngest is 7 months old, and on those nights when I despair that I'll never get a good night's sleep, I remind myself of how much I'll miss these days down the road. :o)
Sniff, sniff. I am aware of how fast time flies, and not wanting to miss the special moments. Don't know if each stage will be my first and last time, all at once.
You're making me jealous! I went in to pick my baby up out of his crib this morning (yes, he's almost three--he's still my baby and he's still in a crib!) and asked him if I could rock him. At first he said no...then he muttered something about rocking with Elmo.
I thought he wanted me to rock him with his Elmo...but no, he just wanted to rock by himself with Elmo...no mama at all! :(
~ Sarah
oh yes. the 'last' time. sadly they come. i just wrote a little post about this for the mother letter project, i am so touched at the vision of you and your baby 'woking' today...it makes me think of how my 2 yr old, emma always says, 'tay wid me mama' at night when i tuck her in ....(stay with me mama). oh, my heart gets so warm and tingley.
thanks also for the supportive comment on my blog last week. God is using all trials for His good. I am so blessed.
hugs friend,
shelbi
that is too sweet! but haven't you read 'i'll love you forever'? ;)
As I look back to those years of rocking, I too have such wonderful memories. Take these times and hold them close and breath in their beauty. Then, when the times are gone you can take a deep reflective breath and draw them back into your mind and heart. Bless you and your sweet baby.
Oh, Kimba, I'm crying rivers now because I passed that point many years ago. I miss those days so much. While I would never stop my son from maturing into the young man God wants him to be, I miss those precious times when he was so little. Man, I am seriously crying! My husband is going to wonder if I've lost my mind! And to make it worse, my son will probably come in here, see me crying, put his head on my shoulder and say, "I love you, Momma. Don't cry." AAAAAHHHHHH! Okay, gotta get my act together before they see me! : )
Set and enjoy every minute of it because it goes by way tooooooooo fast and you still have all that other stuff to do.Take it from a Mom who knows!
I love that story. I just wrote a really similar post on my blog today. I'm feeling nostalgic and trying enjoy all of these moments while they are here.
as My daughters 1st birthday draws closer I am constantly wondering if something will be our last... this just made me boohoo! I am glad you got to rock today
You did the wise thing Kimba! My baby is 13 now and will still occasionally slip his hand into mine when we walk. But that will end soon. When was the last time I picked him up? Or rocked him? It goes way too fast, this thing called childhood. My oldest will leave for college in eight short months. Sigh.... Rock while you can! Or should I say, "wock!"
YOU ROCK! You amazing mommy, you! Off to find my bigger babies. :)
Sigh. So sweet. :)
That is so sweet. I too wonder when my 4 yr old won't need to snuggle with me!! He still likes to cuddle, I love it. Loves his back rubbed and the tips of his fingers pinched. It calms him right down.
This is a bittersweet post...my oldest son turns 16 in 2 weeks, and I caught myself thinking at his basketball game tonight, about how he will be driving to his own practices soon, and how one day soon he will be the big brother coming home from college to watch his little brothers' games. I was holding back tears watching him in the game! You rock all you want to!
I recently had the opportunity to rock my 4 year old big boy - it wasn't the most comfortable I've ever been in my life, but in the moment it really didn't matter.
The blessing is that you are appreciating the here and now, even in the midst of the craziness of a young mother's life.
Enjoy these moments! My boys are bigger and it's changes all the time. It is a good thing you don't know when it's the last time they'll say or do a certain thing!!! You might just rock for days! :-)
-Kim
What a great post about these fleeting moments we have as moms.
Thanks for the reminder,
Kim
Awwww....that was sweet. So glad you chose to continue "wocking" with your son. Housework can wait because we all know houseowrk never ends.
I miss the days when I could cuddle with my little ones in my lap. Cherish that moment.
Always take the wocking. My youngest needs "snuggle time" and I always stop everything to give it to him. My almost 8 year-old also folds himself into my lap, but it doesn't last long...he's too big. Geez...I'm totally PMS'ing and then you post THIS. Ugh.
My 2 year old has been wanting me to hold her after every nap. I get annoyed at first, then think the same thing you did. How long will she be saying "Hode me, Hode me, Mama!" So I Hode:-)
What a precious post~ Im sorry your little one is not feeling well. I hope he gets back to his little busy self and still lets you rock once in a while. Take care~
Enjoy that time...it's sweet moments!
-sandy toe
Very, very wise. :)
Mona
Precious thoughts. One I needed to be reminded of since I just posted my own thoughts on how hard being a mommy is.
I love your blog by the way. (Found you via The Nester.) I'm just now getting brave enough to start commenting on my favorite blogs.
You have a gentle yet funny spirit about you.
Oh, and I made one of your no-sew pillows...love it!
This is such a beautiful post. I'm so glad you didn't slip him into his bed!
Wow, great reminder.
It strikes close to home that entry. I try to think of the fleeting moment that is childhood when I get lost in all the "must-do's" of my day. I certainly don't want to look back at my babies' babyhoods and wonder where they went. Thanks for a beautiful reminder.
Oh, nice! Make your pregnant best friend cry...very, very nice...
Very wise mama! Those moments can never will live in your heart forever. Thanks for the sweet reminder.
Sighing, keeping tears at bay so that the kids don't think somethings wrong. What a sweet,sweet thought and oh how so true! Thanks for reminding me of the sweetest only childhood can bring and how we need to cherish it even when our mind tells us of all the things we need to be doing. For now, we just need to be mommy.
Rock that baby as long and as often as you can. You young mommies need to enjoy every minute because before you know it they'll have babies of their own. It goes by sooo fast. Mimi
You rock, girl!
WOW - seldom does a blog post make me feel so close to tears. There are so few things that are as beautiful as rocking a baby. I miss it and now want to be holding my grandbaby!
Your post was sweet. I can relate.
All the comments and "time" perspectives, got me all verkempt, the entire time!!!!
Though, I do think time heals and glosses over the tantrums, whining and general dishevelment. But, hey, "woking" is superb.
And now, you will never officially make it through a reading of, "I'll Love You Forever", without the read-ee asking, "Are you alright?" Cause if you are anything like me, you may just be bawling.
Good choice. There's a country song called, "You're Gonna Miss This" and it addresses that very thing. One of the last lines is, "I have two babies of my own, one's 36, one's 23". I cry every time I hear that line. My youngest is 21 and even though I'm happy for the empty nest, I do "miss this".
Hi Kimba,
I read your blog all the time. I loved this post. It reminds me of a poem I love. I, too, have little babies and cherish the moments we have to just sit and have a good snuggle!
Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
how sweet. and yes, the rocking may come to an end, but then it will come back aroun d. my 7 yo is now wanting lap time again... thank you so much for sharing this sweet post, it was a very special reminder!! ♥ LA
What a lovely post...so sweet...so sad...so true. Thank you for the reminder to treasure every single second of their precious childhood. It passes by far too fast!
~Amanda
Oh my gosh . . . you don't even know me, but I love your blog . . . and you are making me cry! What a sweet post. Thanks for the reminder. Life is short, and childhood is even shorter.
Kimba, enjoy those rocks. However, I have to tell you that my teenagers still love to be close to their mama, especially when sick. I guess I got lucky that mine never went through that "I can't be around you" stage. So, you just might be able to hold your babies longer than you think.
Sheryl
What a lovely post, sometimes we need a reality check to see what really matters & what it it about the sweet smell of freshly washed childrens hair? Hope your son is feeling better soon.
Sarah
Oh, how I miss the rocking chair days!
Oh Kimba, I think of these things too. I have another babe coming soon, but I only have one son and right now he loves to rock...but before I know it that day will be over. My oldest is only three, but she is already her own gal...a big girl. My one friend said it right when she said, "the days are long but the years are short." So true.
Oh, Kimba. You just brought tears to my eyes and a tightness in my chest. As I was reading this, my little boy has his feet in my lap and I wondered when our last 'wock' was.
Precious post!
I just took the glider out of my 3 year old daughter's room to give her more space to play - it didn't occur to me when I did it that it meant no more rocking! Now I want to put it back...
I love this post - it remindes me that one those days when I gt home from work and I'm tyring to do a million things, and my daughter comes to me with open arms and says, "Mommy, I WANT you"- everything else can wait - because I want her, and that special snuggle, just as much as she does.
Thanks for reminding us of how precious those kinds of moments are.
Oh my goodness, I did the EXACT same thing last night. I just love rocking... the feeling when they finally let their little bodies relax and the full weight of them really rests on you, feeling their small breath on your neck, patting that cozy nightgown on their back.... sigh. I love being a momma.
Kimba- have you ever read
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch?
It's a great children's book about a mom rocking her son. You would love it. It's super sweet.
It comes all too soon, believe me. There are so many things written about "firsts", but never enough about "lasts". I think it's because our hearts couldn't take it all in.
Wock away for those of us whose time has past. :)
I truly miss those times with my boys.
My youngest will be 11 years old in March, the middle almost a teenager, and my oldest off to college in the Fall :(
I can honestly say that I don't know where the time went. It seems like just yesterday they were coming downstairs from a nap and climbing in my lap for some snuggle time!
Cherish and enjoy your time to rock them....that's what being a mom is all about after all!
Beautifully written! Thanks for helping me remember what is really important in life!!
I am a new follower of your blog and this latest entry hit home hard with me! I have a beautiful 16month old little 'man' and I have never thought of this before. I don't rock him, we snuggle until he goes to sleep, but when will the last time of that be? Oh I just cried at your sweet words and thank you for posting to remind me to cherish EVERY minute with my little one!
Wahhaaa. Crying. I had so many last moments with my kids. I tried so hard to treasure EACH moment, just in case it was the last.
SNIFF.
Lovely post, Kimba. Almost time for Blissdom!!!
xo
My baby girl was/is the same way...she never wanted to cuddle...and since My first was a big cuddler...then I really missed it...But when she was sick, we could snuggle forever...I do appreciate those times.
Are you trying to make us all cry? Oh my what a great little post!
Awww!! Thats so sweet! I don't remember the last time Lagan wanted me to rock her to sleep, and the rocking chair is long gone...but the memories are always there! :)
OK, getting off the internet to rock my 3-year-old.
Amanda
great choice! wouldn't we just be blubbering messes if we knew when their last everything was ! Im going to go play two-square with my 8 yr old, 'cause my 15 yr old never asks me to play with him anymore!
That's so sweet! Treasure those precioius moments...
Oh, precious. Rock some for me. My babies are 10 and 7. Sniff sniff.
How poignant. Stopped in from SITS!
I need to go rock my Chihuahuas now.
What a sweet post. I love rocking my almost-two-year-old.
I know, I know! My son has been sick and for a brief few minutes he allowed me to hold him and snuggle him and smell his hair. He let me kiss his head and gently rub my hands along his arm.
I suspect that was the last time.
Wise decision. And there will come a time where he won't rest his head on your shoulder either.
Enjoy it now.
Kimba, you made me cry!!
Good for you for recognizing that moment and freezing it in your mind (and in writing!).
This kind of thing is exactly what I had in mind when I started the Fingerprint Friday series on my blog. There are so many moments and fingerprints from God all around us, but sometimes we don't stop and appreciate them.
So sweet. Thanks for sharing that moment with us!
Sniff. This post reminded me of the book P.S. I love you. The boy in the story never got to big to rock. :)
Thank you for sharing this. Your post totally inspired me to share something VERY similar that happened to me last night when I was having a really, really bad day.
PS Thanks for following me! You made my day! :)
Have you read that book?
I can't think of the name...but it is about 'lasts'. Gosh...Hmmm. It is super sweet.
So true!
It reminds me of that Karen Kingsbury children's book called "Let Me Hold You a Little Longer" (or something like that). It speaks to the reality that you never know when the last time is, for so many things with your children.
Ok, I'll stop writing now so I don't cry!
Oh my that just made me cry!
This makes me want to go get my little 2-year old guy out of bed and rock him. I think I'll make it my mission to rock him once a day. He loves to rock, so I think we will.
Thank you.
This helped me a lot today. My two-year-old just switched to a big girl bed, and it's not going well. She is such an adventurer, but she doesn't have the behavioral control to stay in the bed so it's been a real mess. Our decision was to put her back in the crib, which was hard for me in a way because it felt like going backwards. But to read this, it reminds me that I have no reason to push her to grow up. She's just not ready, and that's OK. Someday I will be much more sad that my daughter wants to be grown up. So today I will be happy that we can keep her on the side of "baby" a little longer. :)
Carrie
Ohh I do this too. My mind will race and I'll tell myself to just STOP and enjoy it and then I DO. :) Do you know what I do? Many nights I will go in his room before I go to bed, pick him up and rock him till I've had my fix. I love it. Do you have the book about the momma that rocks her baby boy to sleep? It makes me bawl...I'll have to go look at the name. Sniff.
Just a few days ago, I rocked my 15 month old great-grandson in the rocking chair that his great-great grandmother rocked my husband in, many years ago.
I'm already thinking that there won't be many more chances for that, and it was definitely a "seize the moment" occasion.
Oh so sweet!!! Thank you for letting me realize I need to cherish every little sweet moment, and the laundry will STILL be there, rocking will not!:)
Oh, wow! i could feel the tears before I even finished reading. You are so right, we don't know when our last rock will be. I just got to rock my 4 year old today and thought what a great little gift. Thanks for keeping what is most important up front and on your blog.
I often have similar thoughts about my children, especially my son who is now 9. Every time he cuddles up with me on the couch or gives me an unexpected hug I hold on for a little longer. Great post! And, great blog! Becki
Love rocking time. I have noticed from my oldest to my little one that time sure does fly by way too quickly. They change so fast.
Glad you're enjoying rocking time, too!
I had fun reading all of your posts I've missed.
The no sew pillow case is super cute and your mantle looks great girl!
Hugs, Les
This is why I ignored all comments about spoiling my girls because I held them constantly. I knew one day they would no longer want to be held/rocked. They still do ocassionally. But, the times are few and far between.
Oh what a sad thought! I am often so busy I forget to really savor those little moments!!! Even with all the chaos a 2 and a 3 yr old bring, I don't want it to end.
You are a sweet, smart mum...and that is what it is all about.
Cheers,
Linda
That a blog can reduce me to tears at 8.46 on a Friday morning is really something. Thank you - for the beautiful meditation, and for the reminder that I need to treasure my last hours of 'wocking' as well.
I had this little poem posted in both my childrens rooms when they were babies and your post reminded me of it:
Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow, for babies grow up we have learned to our sorrow, so quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep, I am rocking my baby for babies won't keep!
You made a wise decision. I hope you have many more rockin' opportunities. Have a wonderful weekend!
My children are all grown and out of the home- I wish I could bring back that sweet time when we would rock together- You thoughts were sweetness to my heart-
Way to be-
I have three boys (oops,16,18,&23), and it has been a very long time since we have "wocked". I do miss that time with them. It goes by WAY,WAY to fast. You are a wise woman to enjoy the time you have.
that is the sweetest post EVER! it made me wanna run a grab my 2yo son and hold him the rest of the day! I love it when he says with outstretched arms "hold-you"
so great to remember to stop what we are doing and hold our babies.
LuLu
Kimba~I had to come back and comment on this post~I read it shortly after I had my baby and it just touched me~so beautifully written and something we as mothers all feel:tugged in different directions, but you chose to rock (wock), and that will make all the difference in your life and in his, I'm sure. I don't get over here to comment often, but I read all of your posts via Google reader and just love your blog. You're real (and fun!) and speak from the heart to all of ours. Thanks for all of the inspiration~
Melissa
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