Foreward

When I first had babies, little old ladies would stop next to my baby

carriage to admire them and say, “Enjoy it…it goes by so quickly.” I

tried. It wasn’t always easy. There were moments that felt like hours 

and hours that felt like months. Especially after one (or both) of them 

were awake all night crying…or throwing up.

I once illustrated a lift-the flap book and when I showed it to a friend 

of mine, he flipped nostalgically through the pages and said, “I don’t

remember the last time I read my son a lift-the-flap book.”

Now I’m realizing that my life has become full of last times too.

The last time I gave them a bath, the last time I kissed a boo-boo,

the last time they argued with me about brushing their teeth. One 

day I was pushing Sarah on a swing, the next she was pumping herself.

Thank god I didn’t know it was the last time. It would have been heart

wrenching.

One morning I woke up to the sound of an unusually quiet house. This 

was a sure sign that something was wrong. Sarah and Sammi had 

finger painted the walls in the kitchen with peanut butter. Then Sarah 

had dumped an enormous warehouse size jar of grape jelly on top of 

Sammi’s head.  Giant, purple globs were dripping down her body. I 

began running around trying to clean up, putting Sammi in the shower, 

rescuing the remaining jar of peanut butter from my three year old. 

It was 6:00 am. I didn’t see the humor. I didn’t stop and laugh. I didn’t 

take a picture.

But I’m laughing about it now and I wish I had a picture.

That’s why I’m writing this blog. So you can be better prepared than I

was for some of the things that you will encounter as a mommy. In 

doing this of course I have to reveal all my character flaws, blunders 

and embarrassing moments. Don’t worry, they’re funny. They made me

laugh…though sometimes not ‘til later. And after all, isn’t laughter the

secret ingredient to everything?

I hope you will be able to treasure life’s special moments while they 

are happening and to laugh at the funny ones. After all, each of these 

moments is making a memory for your child and each of those 

memories are making your child.

And whatever you do, don't forget to take pictures!