Because Childhood Doesn’t Last Forever…

Motherhood is a crazy gig. I look at my girls and I dream of what they will someday become. I can’t wait for them to get old enough to do various things. But all the while, my heart aches — I don’t want them to get bigger. Oh that I could keep them small forever. 

Don’t get me wrong, young is hard. Especially those first few months. But even as I am deep in the throes of potty training, I already miss diapering my babes. How can my baby already be two and half years old? She will be headed off to pre-school in the fall. (Hold me.)

The other day, she broke my heart when she corrected me. Apparently, it is no longer “ta-toe” (silly mom) it is Playdoh. 

Because I can’t keep them little forever, there are a few things I never want to forget.

1. The way she called Playdoh “ta-toe.”
2. The way she asks me to “carry me like a baby” before bed.
3. The way ending credits are an invitation to a spontaneous dance party. Every time.
4. The way she calls Twinkle, Twinkle “Ap-pa-pa” (as in “up above the world so high”).
5. The way every family member must sing “Ap-pa-pa” to her before she sleeps.
6. The way she runs to get her stool to “help” me cook.
7. The way she wants to, and believes she can do, anything big sister does.
8. Her great love for all things Toy Story.
9. Her great love for Kristoff (Frozen).
10. Those curls.
11. Her love for “Abacado” (avocado/guacamole).
12. Her sweet hugs and kisses.
13. The way she always wakes with a paci-stuffed smile.
14. Her out-of-the-blue “we go to Disney today?” requests.
15. The way “HIJK” is pronounced “HIKK” when she sings her ABCs.
16. The way she first, middle and last names her big sister when she is mad.
17. The way she used to say “tookie” instead of cookie, but she just gave that up too…

As I feel time slipping through my fingers, I do my best to cherish every little moment. And capture every moment. Perhaps that is why my camera is like another appendage, and I have gigs and gigs of photos to back up each month.

Because I HAVE to remember that smile.

I have photos galore, but when I was offered the opportunity to receive a hand-drawn illustration through the Playtex Mom Trust I was giddy! Another way to preserve this moment in time. And through Playtex Baby’s Beginnings Imagined sweepstakes you have the opportunity to win an illustration of your child too.

Playtex knows babies, and we know every baby is unique. We want to help parents capture their child’s one-of-a-kind personality with a keepsake that they can treasure forever. That’s why we’ve created the Beginnings Imagined Sweepstakes. If you win, accomplished artist Julie Olson will create an amazing, hand-illustrated tale of who your baby is today and who he or she may become.

In addition to the weekly drawing for a one-of-a-kind illustration, everyone who enters the Beginnings Imagined sweepstakes is also entered for the grand prize of a $5,000 scholarship to help their child discover who they will be come one day.

You only have until July 1 to enter, so visit the Playtex Baby’s Beginnings Imagined sweepstakes today.

This is my Beginnings Imagined illustration.