Simple, Slow & Special Moments

Being 6 months pregnant and having two energetic toddlers, is ... challenging.

  

I am feeling really great; but I've underestimated how often you need to bend down and get up every two minutes with two little people, and how awkward and taxing that is on a pregnant body. Which means if I sit down on the floor to get somebody dressed, change a bum, clean up toys, kiss an owie or whatever else - I would like to sit there for a while. Literally sometimes my body needs to muster up the energy to get itself back up, and I am stuck on the floor.

So we've had many hours of story time every day sitting on the floor, or in some other spot I've landed myself. Really, we read about 2 hours each day together. And it's become so special to me. It's a rare activity that I can do with my kids where I'm not multi-tasking, I'm not asking them to do something that might frustrate them (or me), I'm not telling them to "be patient, hold on", and best of all I don't have to move! ...I am surrounded on either side by the cutest little loves of my life, they are leaned into me, and I am at their disposal to read any book, explain any object they point out (repeatedly), and teach them new words that will be their new found obsession to seek out in everyday life (this week it's "moon" - or as Benny pronounces it, "boom"). While the rest of the day is filled with meal times, snack times, clean up times, nap times, and times of me trying to convince them to play with Lego together in their room and get out of my face, I have now slowed down my pace and sit with my kids far longer than I used to.

I have a dream of opening a children's bookstore. And it's not because I believe children are becoming illiterate and I want them to discover the joy of learning. bleh. No, it's because I want a place where a mom/dad can bring their kid and s-l-o-w down. Get a special drink, sit in a special corner, and read through books together in their own little world. It is just as much for the parent as it is for the kid. I've had times where I've cried reading a story to my kids because it was such a special and surreal moment. I want it to be full of books that talk about dreaming big, loving forever, and loving every little thing about the little person. Books that remind the reader how special it is to be reading to a child. We need those moments together.

I had this dream of a bookstore before getting pregnant, and it's just becoming more and more important to me the slower I pace during my pregnancy. I know this is a season, and I'll be busy (and mobile, haha) again -but I'm sure glad I had it, and that I'm able to treasure it while still in it. I do wish for every parent to have these special moments more frequently than not, and cannot imagine a better job than creating an environment which facilitates that.