The Last First

One would think that I would have learned by now, right?!  I’ve often heard the phrase “Practice Makes Perfect,” so after four, yes 4 children, it should get a little easier!  Or, should it?

As you may or may not know, we have been having some troubles over here in our little Hott humble abode.  And, it all has to do with just a little something that happens each.and.every day.  It can’t be avoided.  No.  It’s one of those things that will occur whether you want it to or not.

It’s bedtime!

Why is bedtime such an ordeal?  I am sure ours is the only house that can drag the nightly ritual of baths, drinks, brushing teeth, stories, more drinks of water in to a major event of no less than 2 hours!  And talk!  One night, I am embarrassed to say, Levi told Isaac that “if you don’t stop talking I’m gonna come over there and punch you in the face!”  Can you believe it?  There are some tv shows that come on at 10:00 that this mommy would like to watch every now and then. Pleeeeeease! Just.Go.To.Bed.Already!

And stay there!

Sometimes, I think that I can fall asleep before my head hits the pillow and not see the light of day for a miraculous 8 hours of slumber.  You?  I have initiated the “Skittles Program” recently (see Moms of Faith “Skittles… Taste the Rainbow!”) and it has seen, yes, limited success. For each night our youngest of four, Levi, remains in bed, he wins a Skittle of every color.  In just a week’s time, I have had a total of three Levi”less” nights!  Horray!  Woopie!  Wow and Holy Cow!  Except,… one of those nights Isaac showed up with a belly ache and threw up all over my bathroom.  Another, Violet was roaming around the downstairs completely asleep (yes, she is a sleepwalker.  That’s why our doors have city chains although we live in the middle of nowhere!)!

Okay, so that leaves one lonely night with just me and my hubby!  And guess what?  It was the night Levi lost is first tooth!  Get this: Levi was so concerned that the Tooth Fairy would not find him (with, oh, just a little coaxing from Daddy) that he wrote him (or her – whatever the Tooth Fairy is) a note!

I must admit, it really made me smile.  Levi’s first grader scribe in blue marker on a yellow sticky pad said, and I’ll quote him here:

“if i am not here i will bein my mom anb dad’s room”

Just like that.  Levi managed to sleep in his own room ALL night on this particular night.  However, I was up (yes, believe it or not, I got up to retrieve a tooth on a rare night that would have turned out to be a complete sleeping night). It was 2:30 a.m.  With Levi completely asleep, I found this note in a sandwich baggie with the tiniest little baby tooth.

So small, barely larger than a grain of rice, a symbol of my baby boy’s development from a baby to a toddler, I held in my hand the itty bitty reminder that my little guy is growing up.  Not only is he loosing his teeth (finally), but he is starting to sleep in his own bed all night… finally!

And I cried.  I know, I know!  Am I crazy?  For you see, I realized that this tiny baby tooth, the smallest piece of Levi, is one of many of my “last firsts”.  Having gone through oh sooooo many teeth around here, this one represents a last first experience of motherhood for me.

How many times do you remember those firsts? From those first steps, first words, first foods, to first dates, a little piece of my mommy heart aches with each milestone and memory that celebrates and rejoices in the many “firsts” I have experienced with my children.  We are only blessed with that one essential rare moment when our child does or accomplishes a new event for the first time.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss a single thing.  Although we also remember the first fall, fight, or bad grade, we also remember the first time your baby said “mama”, smiled, gave kisses…. Or how sweet was the first time you heard him/her say “I love you”?

Nothing gives my heart more joy than the gift of being a mom. What better staring role could a person ever play in life than being your babies’ mommy?  So, although I whine and moan about getting a good night’s sleep, I will never cherish those “last first” events more.  Because you know what?  Eventually,… unbeknownst to me,… it will be Levi’s last night to come and cuddle up with mommy in the middle of the night.

…And I miss him already.

Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice! Proverbs 23:25

Copyright © Angie Hott, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved