I finish off the last couple of sentences in Sidney's blog. Documenting the 6 ounces he has gained since his departure of the hospital. His increased sense of his surroundings, and even the hour spell he spent with his father and me late last night, wide awake and listening to us converse with him as he laid between us in our bed. Upon arrival home, a piece of paper was brought out with "Sidney's Schedule" written at the top. For the first two days at home, his feeding and sleeping habits were well documented.
My oldest two children have baby calendars that on specific dates, "first" stickers are proudly placed: First time baby rolled over, first time baby slept through the night, first time baby blinked, first time baby cried while changing of diaper, first time baby scratched his face with his tiny but sharp nails.
With the exception of documentation style, this baby is no different.
As i polished off the last sentence, i thought about his three older siblings. When was it documented that they solved a conflict on their own for the first time or when a word that was not heard before was explained to them. When was it documented that they finally have developed a taste for garlic or when they (maturely) spoke up for an injustice. Baby books last just so long and these generic stepping stones will soon be long lost and forgotten. We keep onto small art projects and report cards, and as a parent who loves to write, i have tried very hard to keep simple life steps well documented, but i have slipped. As i write about sidney's first doctors visit or how many visitors came to visit in a day, i will remember to talk about how Lucy just can't get enough of holding him in the rocking chair and how she has been displaced for 10 days to her brother's room because Grammie is sleeping in her bed. I will talk about Simon's transition as the older brother and how important it is for him to be recognized by both his parents as this child with the 'i am too cool for the world' attitude has an incredible fragile ego that needs to be loved just as much as this small addition and as I am carrying sidney around the house and monitoring my steps and behaviors, i will recognize my oldest son; my first born, who is trying admirably to be the oldest and most responsible of his siblings, and yet, he is still just 11....he is still my baby - forever and ever, he shall be the one for which i first held and kissed and promised my eternal love.
The documentation of life does not stop after the 5th birthday party or after the first hiccup or ingestion of solid food. it continues through each life moment, each small heart ache, each triumphant maneuver and each beat of the miraculous heart.
Today, I have given time to the documentation of life. thanks for listening.
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