Mommy’s First Winter Break

I hope that you all had the merriest of Christmases. I am always sad when it’s all over. Christmas, like so many other things, becomes so much more fun with children. Christmas was my absolute favorite before kids, but now I kind of wait for it all year long.

This was my first year with a “Christmas break” that wasn’t my own, and I have SO loved having Jace home all day every day again. I am totally not one of those moms that sighs with relief when she drops her child off at school. Instead, I’m anxious all day long until I get him again. It’s a weird feeling for me, because I’m literally not like that about anything else in my life. Motherhood always calls to the surface the personality traits that I never knew I had.

I also love that I don’t have to wake up with him everyday at 7:30. Neither him nor I are of the morning loving sort… makes for joyous mornings together. 😉

This whole winter break thing has surely underscored the fact that my Jace is growing. I feel his baby days slipping away into childhood with each passing day. It’s torturous and sweet at the same time. I know I’m not the only mom to battle with with the balance of emotions it brings, I’ve heard and read about others feeling the same. At this point Zoey has lost most of her traces of infancy as well. Why is there such a profound difference between a baby who turns two and one that turns three? It was surely a turning point for Zo. But she still asks me for “uppie” and gets upset with I leave half the time. A phase I shall savor as it too slowly slips away.

All I can do is try my best to grow with them. Each new chapter brings with it new challenges and adventures in parenthood. I really REALLY love all of the little programs and events that the preschool hosts. Jace’s Christmas program was probably the sweetest thing ever – I won’t lie I almost cried when he found me in the crowd, and was then overcome with joy, waving frantically from the stage. All of the kids were characters from the nativity scene, Jace was a cow – and he was so damn proud to be that cow. It was hilarious and adorable at the same time.

Zoey was so jealous of all of the attention that Jace was getting that I had to let her sing to us from the stage after everyone started to leave. She sang Jingle Bells to my mom and I as I took pictures. I just had to let her, it was too cute.

Part of me will be so sad to send him back to school next week, Mommy’s First Winter Break is coming to an end. I can’t believe that the days of him being home with me 24/7 are over. But the other half of me is exited for all of the new things he will learn and the adventures he will have without me. I guess that’s the head fake to this whole parenting thing, you’re preparing them for life without you all along.