henny reads up on his manners in his new thief + bandit leggings.
i was nursing henry the other night in the big bed, talking softly with brandon about all the things you talk about at the end of the day (and remembering this beautiful essay i had just read), when hen, his eyes drooping and his face still, started softly patting his lap. pat pat pat pat. blast off! i whispered, and henny obediently raised one sleepy arm in the air before letting it drop back to the mattress. out cold. brandon and i looked at each other and laughed as hard as we could without making a sound or letting our shaking wake the baby.
and i thought to myself, this is what i always thought being a parent would feel like.
this afternoon, henry found himself in a precarious position in the book box. it took all the effort he had to lift his little left leg up and over the wall of the box without slipping, and brandon and i stopped everything we were doing to watch him think through his situation, lean against the bookshelf for balance, and then s l o w l y climb out. once he was free we both burst into applause. henry stood so tall and so proud, smiling so big at us, as we said "good boy, henny!" and "wow! so strong!"
and i thought to myself, if this is the best my life ever gets, i will have had it pretty damn great.
there is just so much beauty in all of these small moments. today i am feeling so grateful for them. we are so lucky--all of us!--that our entire lives can be made up of these small, nothing little moments, if we let them.
this is the most precious thing. i can't wait to experience little moment's like these, especially thinking, this is what being a parent would feel like. :)
ReplyDeletexo TJ
love this! my little guy is always way too distracted to ever kiss his mama. sometimes it makes me sad but this morning he leaned over and kissed me. it was the sweetest thing ever and i had both of those same thoughts you just mentioned in that one instant. LOVE.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. I know it took you some time to get pregnant, but I think your life was just preparing you for how awesome your life was about to get.
ReplyDeletei love those little moments that are just perfections all wrapped up with a little bow!
ReplyDeleteI love this! And I totally agree love these moments with my baby boy :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteso sweet. i just found your blog. how i missed it before this is beyond me. i like your sappy and stylish approach to life. i fancy myself a kindred spirit.
ReplyDeleteoh this was written so perfectly and so true. it's why i love the weekends. not because i don't have to work, but because i get to spend so much time with the ones i love and have so many little perfect moments. your writing makes me look forward to being a mother (god willing), which is something i had never felt before. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt really makes you wish you could "stay in the moment" permanently, doesn't it? So, so sweet. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThis is BEAUTIFUL. Life really is made up of all the precious little moments that we hardly even notice sometimes. Thank you for sharing these adorable stories with us!
ReplyDeleteTotally had this epiphany the other day, that life experienced with family, with people you love is just beeee-u-tiful. These simple moments in life are truly gifts from God. :)
ReplyDeleteoh i'm a long ways off from being a mother, but this made me tear up a bit.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about the simple moments... and I loved that essay when I read it the other day too. My little guy who is now almost six used to cry in the car as a toddler and the only way we could get him to stop is if we sang Little Einsteins. :)
ReplyDelete“There is just this for consolation: an hour here or there, when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we’ve ever imagined , though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) knows these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and more difficult. Still, we cherish the city, the morning, we hope, more than anything, for more. Heaven only knows why we love it so.” The Hours, Michael Cunningham
ReplyDeletehttp://theanywaygirl.wordpress.com/
Your writing really move me. I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog! I always look forward to your posts and feel a kindered spirit in your observations on life and your lovely son and husband. I'm also a mom to a 3.5 year old boy and he's the love/light of my life. Thanks for it all. Best, Lisa
ReplyDeleteI just have to agree. Everyday I wake up and every night I go to sleep realizing just how blessed I am that I get to spend 24 hours a day being the mother to the cutest baby I've ever met. Life isn't perfect, but it sure is AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog for ages and watching Huck turn into a little person is the craziest thing ever! It makes me look forward to having my own ... someday :)
ReplyDeleteYou (and so many other mommies) are the reason I look so forward to having children of my own. Thank you for sharing your special moments with Brandon and Henry. It makes this girl smile every time.
ReplyDeleteAs I lay here on the couch with my 7 day old son post feeding I am touched by this post. His little breaths in my breast and his tiny arms outstretched across my chest are so precious, life really is in the small moments.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh. the blast off, half asleep? did you just die?!? i would've.
ReplyDeleteI love this post--those moments are priceless. I can't wait to have children so one day I can have them too although I love here moments with my and my husband--they are some of the best ever
ReplyDeletea post kathleen kelly herself would be proud of!
ReplyDeletei'm sitting here, eyes full of tears, because you've perfectly articulated what happiness is. when we're young we think happiness is riches and fame...but isn't that what being a mother encompasses? Our babies love us more than any fan loves their idol, and although our riches come in the form of these little moments instead of currency, they are so much better!
ReplyDeleteI was having such a bad day and this just made me smile so big (: thanks! I love reading your stuff and I hope my future babies are as happy and chubby as Henry.
ReplyDeleteamen.
ReplyDeletelove the look on his face! the one that says, "psssh... like i need this book to tell me how to behave" ;)
ReplyDeletewww.twosmuppies.com
Well said...I feel the same way everyday. Now if my kiddos would just quit growing up. :)
ReplyDeleteSo so true! Ive been fortunate and blessed to be a mother to two pretty perfect young women. and the moments, the moments .... so many and so memorable. I read a quote once that I have always loved
ReplyDelete"We do not remember days, we remember moments"
Enjoy every one of your moments with them!!
This is so sweet!! It makes me even more excited to be a parent to our coming little man!!
ReplyDeleteAmen! Completely agree!
ReplyDeleteBabies make the rest of the world seem pretty unimportant.
ReplyDeleteIn the best possible way.
They make you see what is truly important.
I have 4 and each time it is all amazing.
Love seeing you love your boy.
Love from,
Greta
you made me reflect on my day and cherish those moments i had with my kids today and for that i say thank you...and cooper would say "now...we are on our way!"
ReplyDelete"and i thought to myself, this is what i always thought being a parent would feel like." - so sweet, so true!
ReplyDeleteAnd this....this is why I love natthefatrat.com
ReplyDelete'Cause you spread sunshine and happiness around the internet.
And we alllll need that. Shine on girl. Shine on.
aaaaw, i was gonna say "this is why i love your blog so much", but i don't seem to be the only one with that thought. :)
ReplyDeleteanyway - lots of love from germany! <3
Ow so cute... can i save this picture on my weheartit.com?
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! So very true and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet and true. I miss the time when my babies were exploring like that- the feeling of accomplishment is oinly slightly less amazing than when they know that you see them, that you get it. I love that mutual understanding before they can even talk. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteso right. the moments really are the best parts. those good little mommy moments.
ReplyDeleteI almost shed a tear reading this. I so know what you mean. Sometimes I have to consciously stop and freeze the moment in my head.
ReplyDeleteI have a little book by my bed for these moments. xx Couple of lines at the end of a memorable day...believe me as the months and years roll by you will forget. Write them down. xx
ReplyDeleteyeahhhhh i totally love this so much.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!! I miss those moments. My son is now 5 and I am having trouble swallowing the fact that I just registered him for kindergarten. Thankful he still has moments of "ta da" I did it by myself mommy or watching him put into practice something that he has recently learned. It is the simple things that always seem to be so special. This post made me tear up and reminded me to slow down so I don't miss these moments.
ReplyDeletePretty damn great, indeed. It is, most definitely, the littlest moments when your heart could just explode - this is what it's all about.
ReplyDeleteThis is really awesome. Thank you for posting it!
ReplyDeleteSmall moments are the best. We just moved and my three year old said yesterday "mommy, i wanna go back to our old house with the red door."
ReplyDeletei told her that all of our things are here now, and maryland is far far away. She simply said "but i'm a big girl, and i can go really really far on my pink scooter!"
Oh, Nat, that was just beautiful. Such amazing writing, and I shared CJ"s post on my FB page and am sending this post of yours to friends. How I miss these small moments of watching my 4 learn something new or fall into a drunken blissful sleep after nursing. My heart aches for it sometimes in ways only a momma can get. Thanks for sweet reminder.
ReplyDeleteBabysitter Keri :):)
My husband and I are on the fence on whether we want kids sooner or later in life (I am 24, but mormon, so everyone at church and my family/friends seem to think I should have had kids like 4 years ago...) Reading your blog has made me realize that giving up my "freedom" that I have now to share these amazing moments that you write about will be worth it and I think I would like to make my little familly grow sooner rather than later. Thank you for your inspiration and sharing your life it has really made me think about how I want to live for the better.
ReplyDelete