As a Mom We Count

As a mom we count.

We count the weeks and months during pregnancy.

Grateful for each milestone for the life growing with in us.

And then after birth we continue to count all the firsts.

The first smile.

The first time sleeping through the night.

The first tooth.

The first word.

The first step.

The first haircut.

The first time riding a bike.

The first airplane ride.

The first time on skis.

The first day of school captured on camera year after year.

The first school concert.

The first time they drive away alone.

The first holiday apart.

The first time you realize they no longer need you in the same way.

We count the firsts, notice them, photograph them, write them down.

But the lasts arrive quietly.

Unannounced.

The last bedtime story.

The last time they crawl into your bed after a scary dream.

The last time you tie their shoes.

The last time you carry them half asleep from the car.

The last arm tickle.

The last day of school.

The last ski race.

The last night sleeping at home.

We don’t record the lasts.

We don’t always know when they happen.

We count the firsts, the lasts sneak up on us, and the beauty is in the ordinary life in between.