Picture the inside of a clock, with all its gears working in teams to keep the time. Sometimes, it feels like life is going smoothly like that. Other times, it feels like time may be moving a little bit too fast…which has been the case for me over the past three months.

The last three months have brought about changes in my life. They aren’t bad changes, they are changes that come with reasons to celebrate growth. It’s just that as a full-time working mom, I may not have slowed down to truly observe, mark, and/or take notes in my kids’ journals to remember them.

So, here I am, taking a moment to slow down and commemorate three milestones and share them with you.

Milestone #1: The baby turned 1 year old in April!! (Well, I guess she’s not a baby anymore.) I remember with my first, 1 year seemed to be the magical turning point when everything started getting easier. So far, so good. She has started sleeping through the night, and she is getting steadier on her feet – steady enough to start taking little steps.

I weaned her from breastfeeding shortly after her first birthday and it went way better than I expected. The only problem now is that my body is in a state of hormonal chaos. I feel like a teenager all broken out in acne…and I’m sure my two year menstruation hiatus will soon be coming to an end 🙁

Milestone #2: I turned a year older in May. When you consider the alternative (being six feet under), it’s a great thing, right? I don’t want to sound ungrateful for my health, my family, a job I love…it’s just that I find that birthdays aren’t as exciting to look forward to as one’s age gets higher and closer to…gasp! 40!!

I had a lovely day though. I had some time for myself at the salon as well as some time with my girls on a walk and at the park. My husband and girls took me out for kaiten sushi and we had a great time. It was a fun way to end the day.

Milestone #3: My oldest “graduated” from pre-school and started summer camp! I remember when we first started at her childcare center, being in the classrooms on the second floor with the pre-schoolers always seemed so far away (the infant rooms, waddlers and toddlers are all on the first floor). Then, she moved up there two years ago.

Two years ago she was shy, clingy, as well as, the smallest and youngest in her pre-school class…and now she has transformed into a more social and independent “big girl”, as she likes to be referred to as.

As I was watching her walk out the door the first day of summer camp, with her backpack and lunchbox, hair in ponytails, bouncing with excitement, I said to myself, where did my baby go?! Well, I thought I said it to myself, but apparently I said it out loud because she then turned around and said, “What momma, you want me to be a baby again?! Why?” My baby, I mean my big girl, will turn 5 this summer.

My big girl will start Kindergarten in the fall. Come September, I’ll have to remember to let go of the little bit of fear in me and celebrate, because change is inevitable, and it’s part of living. Everyone deals with these types of events in different ways…I think I just need to acknowledge the milestone, along with the change(s) it brings in order to accept it and carry on.

Does anyone remember the show The Wonder Years? In closing, I’d like to leave you with a quote from the show that rings true to me as I finish this post…

“Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what’s to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come.”

What about you – how do you handle milestones in your life and your children’s lives?

This is an original post for World Moms Blog by Eva Fannon. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.

Photo credit to Bruno Cunha http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucunha/3028093228/.  This photo has a creative commons attribute license.

Eva Fannon (USA)

Eva Fannon is a working mom who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her hubby and two girls. She was born and raised on the east coast and followed her husband out west when he got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. Eva has always been a planner, so it took her a while to accept that no matter how much you plan and prepare, being a mom means a new and different state of "normal". Despite the craziness on most weekday mornings (getting a family of four out the door in time for work and school is no easy task!), she wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. She and her husband are working on introducing the girls to the things they love - travel, the great outdoors, and enjoying time with family and friends. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.

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