In the Moment

I am the type of person who is always looking ahead to what's next or looking behind to what's past, and it's very hard for me, despite recognizing flaw, to do anything about it.  I want to live in the present and enjoy life's blessings right now, instead of hoping for the next blessing or regretting that I didn't savor it while I had it.

When Nathan was born, I determined that I would slow down and make myself live in the moment.  I didn't worry that he woke up every few hours in the night, that he wanted to eat so often (and still does, actually), or that I had to change his diaper every hour.  I knew that these days would go by so fast, and I wanted to enjoy every second with my baby boy.  This is the only time I have with just one baby, so things won't be so easy next time. 

Nathan spent the first few weeks of his life napping on my chest in our recliner, and already those days are almost gone as he is too long to curl up on me.  I don't want to look back on my life in a year or twenty years and regret moments I missed because I was frustrated or impatient or hoping for the next stage of Nathan's life.  In a way, I can't wait for his first word or his first step.  But it seems that everyday he is doing something new and cute, and I don't want to miss those little things either.