One day she just stopped. I'm not sure when.
Somehow, I missed it.
One day I looked at Peter Rabbit and realized his ear was no longer damp. She'd moved on.
The second little traveller sucked her left thumb while playing with her eyelashes with her right hand. It was the cue for nap time, the thumb and the lashes. No pacifier or dummy, blanket or bear. One thumb in the mouth, the other hand gently tapping each lash.
One day she stopped. I'm not sure when.
Somehow, I missed it.
I saw and old photo, her lashes pressed in between her fingers with a thumb in her mouth and I realized she didn't do it anymore. She'd moved on.
The third little traveller loved having a sticker on his forehead. Yes. Really. Every piece of fruit in the fruit bowl was raided for a sticker, every item from the store. "How much are you worth today?" I'd ask as I pulled $4.99 from his forehead. He was a banana, an orange, a kiwi fruit.
One day he stopped. I'm not sure when.
Somehow, I missed it.
Today the house is bedlam, the latest head count was 9 children. I had escaped to the couch and was reading a book when the fourth little traveller came to join me. He was tired, he can't keep up with the others. He snuggled in to my lap, grabbed my hand and started to do his thing. I pushed the camera app on the ipad.
One day he will stop - because it would be weird to be 23 and still rubbing your mothers fingernails when you were tired.
One day, probably soon, he will stop.
I may not realize and I may not notice immediately.
But I will miss it - it will be gone.
Have you noticed any habits that have disappeared? Were they unnoticed?
My son used to like to watch TV, just him and me (I have 3 children) and we'd stretch out on the sofa and he would lie with his legs between mine and his head on my chest. When he grew out of it, his little sister was thrilled to take his place and very proud. But I miss it -it is gone. It didn't go unnoticed, I just took it for granted.
ReplyDeleteMy little one used to drink his bottle in my arms and then one day, he just stopped, just wanted to do it himself! I didn't miss it, but I missed it!
ReplyDeleteStrangely he just started wanting to do it again recently and I am mindful to not take it for granted, because of course there is a going to be a point where he doesn't want to do it any more, again!
Oh my goodness, apart form the fact that I have a slight welling up in the eye, you have reminded me of so many little things with my three kids. My first (now 18) used to take a lock of hair at the front of her hair and stroke it when she was really tired. It was a dead giveaway! The second, didn't so much have anything he did, but he'd get a pale, dazed look when he was tired. My third (now 8) used to put a blanket over his head, shake head from side to side and sing VERY loudly. Unfortunately he needed to do this to get himself to sleep, so anyone near his room had no chance of getting to sleep. Even more unfortunately, on planes, he still puts the blanket over his head. We get some strange looks!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous little boy BTW!
My Henry used to suck his teddy Morgan's nose - as a consequence dear Morgan had to have a few nose jobs
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteI have a girlfriend whose son did EXACTLY the same thing with a blanket. I'm sure people thought he was a victim of child abuse when his mother put the blanket over his head when they were out.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's it. I've taken so many things for granted *sigh*
ReplyDeleteClimbing trees. I know, it has very little to do with being tired but when I read your post I felt slightly sad at all the things that have been left behind in childhood. Now when I walk through the garden full of trees with my daughter she isn't trying out every low branch for tree climbing potential like she always did when younger. Except the other day when the whole family were int h garden and we couldn't see her anywhere she shouted, we all looked up, and thee she was, in one of the biggest trees. It was nice to see her revisiting a childhood game! But that's a bit different to rabbit ear sucking, you might not be so excited if an older child started that again! ;)
ReplyDeleteGoodness, this post has brought back so many memories of those little things that seem to happen all the time until you suddenly realize that they no longer do...
ReplyDeleteMy girl (now 9) used to cross her legs when she was tired - it was a sign when she was in the car seat that it was time for a sleep. I sometimes go and kiss her goodnight now and she is fast asleep on her back with her legs crossed. Will have to watch out for all those other lovely little things.
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This is so precious ~ I love reading your blog. Thanx for sharing your stories and life with us!
ReplyDeleteYes, the nail thing! My daughter does it too! (Only she just rubs my thumbs -- won't touch my other nails.) It drives me crazy when she sleeps next to me -- my thumb has to be positioned exactly so, so I'm not allowed to move all night -- but, truth be told, I do love it. And although it makes sense, it never occurred to me that she'd just stop one day... I, too, want to make her promise she never will...
ReplyDeleteI'm giggling at you having to sleep with your "thumbs up". Very cute.
ReplyDeleteA future yoga instructor? Very cute.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't smart enough to write them down, so now I don't remember the little habits of my children in the first place, let alone if I missed them when they disappeared, sigh. You now have record! It will be fun to read in your dotage.
ReplyDeleteI did write down other incidents in my children's lives and found a fun one lately that I copied and sent to my daughter who got a kick out of it.
This was the loveliest post! You've got me really thinking about my four... I wish the last time they did something involved a bit of fanfare!
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