That dreaded date for many Moms. Or maybe just me. I am not excited for the month come when I say good bye to my cuddly little first born baby and enter into toddlerdom. Don’t get me wrong I am grateful beyond words to have a healthy, happy and joyous little one growing in leaps and bounds everyday. It is not that. It is that with everyday that pass he slides farther from my ability to relate to him and closer into the “maleverse”. Only approaching one year and he actually giggles at his own burps? Oh how I know what the years ahead of me hold. Challenges in relating to his quirky maleness and struggles teaching him how to princely admire the fairer sex.

My husband eagerly bids his time. The days of a lifelong playmate approach. He already smiles coolly as we pass the sporting section at Target. With each shortened nursing session and every wiggle to climb from my lap I am reminded how quickly it goes.

BABIES DON’T KEEP

Mother, oh Mother,

come shake out your cloth,

empty the dustpan,

poison the moth,

hang out the washing

and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house

is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery,

blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little

Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done

and there’s nothing for stew

and out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

but I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing

will wait till tomorrow,

for Children grow up,

as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs.

Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep……

~Author Unknown ~