It's All Angles Now

As a young mother, I always looked forward to snuggling up with my kids. Something about those chubby thighs and squishy biceps just made me want to squeeze! Cuddling up on the couch to watch the latest Disney movie for the 200th time was always a pleasure if there was a child on my lap with his/her head snuggled right below my chin. Those were the "oasis" moments that made all of the other hysteria that accompanied raising young children worthwhile.

On the rare occasion, when I was able to get away for a few days, I found that more than anything, I missed the tactile experience of holding my kids. This surprised me because I thought I would miss how the looks on their faces or the sounds they would make. But, no. I always missed knowing exactly how they felt in my arms.

Nowadays, the landscape is changing. This morning as I snuggled both of my girls in the recliner, I noticed how markedly their bodies have changed. The soft curves and padding have now been replaced with long, acute angles and lines. All I could think is, "It's all angles!" The soft tissue that once graced my ample thighs is now hard, lean muscle. The chubby thighs are now bony bums.  The bodies that once fit so perfectly in my arms or under my chin are now much too long for either. Instead of holding babies, I feel as if I'm holding life-size Tinker Toys. Carrying a child to bed now not only involves a great amount of strength but also Tetris-like puzzle solving skills--"How do I get this long angular body down this hall and then maneuvered through a doorway?!" Watching my babes sleeping, I wonder who comes in each night and stretches those bodies?! Even my baby is starting to fill up the bed. The geometry of motherhood has definitely changed.

Don't get me wrong. I love the stage of life that I'm at. The perks at this stage of motherhood are pretty great. I do NOT miss changing diapers, lugging huge baby bags around, back-breaking car seats, puke, poop, pee, crying, feedings, toting cheerios and discovering long-lost, sippy cups that were once filled with milk that have now become toxic. But I DO miss those soft, little limbs!  There's nothing like them.

Probability shows me that my days of being able to savor these little slices of heaven, angular or not, are on the downward slope.  So, no matter how long your list of to-do's is today, prioritize this one. Take a moment to cradle the little, or not so little, ones in your arms. Human Tinker-Toys or angel, baby fat, these days are numbered. At the very least, let's make 'em count.