The Last of the Firsts

I’m about to get all sorts of emotional over this girl. My last baby. Jon asked me the other night “what are we going to do when she’s no longer a baby? We’ll have to have another one.” And trust me…having a fourth baby is not something we are thinking about. Belle has completed our family perfectly. But dang, she better NEVER grow up. Girlfriend needs to stay little forever.

And since she’s our last, I’m sure we will forever think of her as our little baby. So needless to say, I get a little more emotional about all of her “firsts.” First belly laugh, first crawl, first steps. You know how they say “the days are long, but the years are short”? As soon as you become a mother you know how true that statement is. But it’s even more real with baby #3. I thought it went by fast, but I didn’t even know how fast these moments fly by until I had my third. It’s like everything is on fast forward these days and all I want to do is scream for it to stop. Sometimes I want to squeeze them and hug them and at the same time hide from them in the pantry. Motherhood is funny like that.

Last week Belle went on a nursing strike and refused to breastfeed all day long. Jon mentioned maybe she was done nursing. But I just couldn’t fathom it. My heart couldn’t take it. And he didn’t understand why I wasn’t jumping for joy at the thought of getting my body back. I just could not imagine being done with this baby stage and nursing stage so quickly. I also couldn’t imagine being done with something so significant in our relationship without being able to give it a proper goodbye. And by proper goodbye I mean me recording it in her baby book and trying to soak it up forever. And tears. Lots of tears. Thankfully Belle’s nursing strike was due to a cold, and she was back to nursing like normal the next day. We’ll cross that hurdle when we are both ready.

What happened to my little baby? Didn’t I just take this photo yesterday? Belle will turn one next month and I seriously cannot believe it’s almost here. She was just born. Right?

Belle’s first word was “dada”. She’ll say “mama” when she’s crying for me and upset, but otherwise it’s “dada dada dada” all day long.

She is straight up obsessed with her big brother and sister and wants to get in on whatever activity they are doing. Hudson is the sweetest with her and always makes her laugh.

He’s so gentle with her and they have the cutest relationship. Belle saves her biggest laughs for him.

Belle is our most curious child….well, probably not. She’s more curious than her big sister was, but probably not more so than Hudson. I’ve just forgotten, I’m sure. She’s been pulling up on everything lately and showing off how she can stand. She’s pretty proud of herself. No real steps yet but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. Hudson walked at 10 months and Sadie walked right after her 1st birthday. We think she’ll be walking right around her birthday just like her sister. And I’m just not ready for it. I want her to sit and crawl and just be a baby forever. 

Carter’s has been essential in so many of my children’s firsts. I brought each of them home from the hospital in Carter’s pajamas. And each set of pjs has made it in to their forever box. I will cherish them forever…and marvel and how small they are and how I can’t believe I ever had a baby that fit in to something so little. Carter’s is the brand I turn to for my baby’s clothing because I trust that everything will be soft, durable, and cute. There is something perfect for all of their little firsts.

Carter’s is having an amazing sale right now! Everything is on sale so now is the time to stock up! The Carter’s February Baby Sale goes until March 5th. You can save an extra 20% off your Carter’s baby clothes purchase with this coupon.

They have so many cute baby girl clothes right now…you better believe I’ll be taking advantage of this sale! I recently picked up this dress and it is hands down my most favorite thing in her closet right now. We also love their Little Baby Basics line too…perfect for building your baby’s wardrobe with some adorable items!