I wrote this in my journal on my 1st night home with baby Teli… I try to read it every morning as a reminder.
It is presently 3:45am, Sunday, August 11th and you hold a brand new baby in your arms. I know that you haven’t slept for 72hrs and you are very much wishing to be elsewhere - in bed fast asleep, or somewhere just beyond this current season of your life where baby has turned your world upside down and needing all - perhaps more - than you have to give. I know that your body is aching and recovering and you have every physical right to not want to participate in the moments right in front of you. But there are also a few things that I want you to know, that you may think you know, but you don’t really know, or else you wouldn’t allow yourself to feel this way. So I’m just going to remind you…
In a matter of days… your baby won’t need you to hold him every waking second. He won’t need to hear the constant beating of your heart in order to feel safe in this world. He will adjust to life outside of your womb. He will need you less than he does now.
In a matter of weeks… you will be packing away outfits and booties that he no longer fits in and you will be able to leave him with a caregiver so you can start to get back to the rest of your life. That precious little baby won’t need you quite as much as he does now.
In a matter of months… he will be eating solids and walking and talking. As much as you love to see him thrive you will miss the days you spent nursing him, carrying him around everywhere you went and trying to interpret his cries and coo’s. He will need you less than he does now.
In a matter of years… his days will be spent studying, playing and working. He will be in quest of his identity and independence. He won’t need you as you does now.
In less time than you think… he will be having babies of his own and only occasionally calling with questions. He won’t need you as much as he does now.
I know these things because I am at already at the end of your life… when your best days are behind you. When that little baby doesn’t need you the ways he does now. And I know that these exact moments that you are in a hurry to get through are the very moments that your heart will ache for. So right now, while you are in the midst of midnight feedings, changing dirty diapers and longing to just get past this season of life I beg of you, be present. Never forget that what you hold in your arms is nothing short of a miracle. Know that I am here and I am longing to hold his little fingers. I’ll never get those moments back. So treasure them while you can. Turn off the distractions. Ignore the voices that try to tell you your fulfillment is elsewhere. Because right now he does need you. These precious moments that he won‘t even remember, were created especially for you to enjoy. Be thankful for every moment. They are among the greatest gifts you will have in life. Know that I am sitting here at the end of your life… and there is no where in the world I would rather be than where you are right now.
Sincerely,
Your Future self
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