This post is sponsored by Similac. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that I truly love and that make this blog possible.
The Midwest is finally experiencing some spring weather after winter decided to overstay its welcome. So, on the first night after work that we had above 60 degree weather, I treated our four children to a picnic after picking them up from school and daycare.
I picked up some sandwiches, grabbed some blankets and bubbles, and we were on our way to a nearby park. At the very moment I stepped on that playground, I realized that It would be my youngest kiddo’s first trip to a playground park. It would be her first time down a slide. It would be her first picnic. All of these firsts were things she would be experiencing because of an impromptu picnic.
Later on during their playtime, my little girl stood on her own for over 20 seconds. Another milestone! If I’m being truthful, I wish that she didn’t hit that milestone. She’s that much closer to not being a baby.
I knew with my third that there was this nagging feeling that I wasn’t done. When my fourth was born, I knew my family was complete. However, in that delivery room, I knew it would be the last time my husband and I were in there experiencing the wonder of a baby’s birth.
When the doctor exclaimed that she was a girl, I knew that it would be the last time I would hear the gender of my baby being called out.
When her newborn cries awoke us, I went and cuddled her for longer than I should have because I knew the days and nights were long, but I knew how fast that time would go.
With three other kids, I’ve been lucky to be able to experience each milestone three times. With my last girl, my baby of my babies, I know there won’t be another first after hers.
With my last, I’m not running toward the next milestone, I’m trying to figure out how to stretch the time between them.
I’m enjoying cuddling with my sweet baby. Changing those diapers and seeing those thunder thighs makes me smile. Rocking her to sleep while singing her baby lullaby’s.
Every night, I nurse her a little longer. I gently stroke the wisps of her hair. Each night, I whisper “Don’t grow up too fast”.
When the doctor told me that she could eat solids, I knew that nursing and bottle feeding were nearing their final days. Can you believe that with all of my kids, I had different experiences with nursing, bottle feeding and pumping? However, there was one constant. With all of my babes, I’ve fed them Similac as they are the first and only infant formula in the United States to have HMOs and still be non-GMO and no-AGH, providing complete nutrition and immune support for my children’s first year.
Similac has always been my go-to brand when I needed to bottle feed because, unlike other formulas, Similac Pro-Advance and Pro-Sensitive are the first and only infant formulas with 2'-FL Human Milk Oligosaccharide (or HMO, an immune-nourishing prebiotic previously only found in breast milk)*.. Similac is also the first and only leading infant formula brand with no artificial growth hormones. Similac dairy ingredients come from cows that have not been treated with artificial growth hormones.**
Visit the Similac Sisterhood of Motherhood Savings Club, where you can subscribe to monthly delivery at an average savings of 20% and learn more.
Looking back with my other babies, II wish I didn’t try to rush those firsts - first foods, first walk, first everything. It happens so fast. Like tonight. I asked my six year old to go take a shower. She went and took a shower on her own. I sat there trying to remember the very last time I helped her with bath time. I was so sad. With my last baby, will I remember the last time I nurse her, feed her baby food, change her diaper?
Each morning I wake up, we’re getting closer to another one of my last baby’s first milestone. I’m powerless to stop it. But what I can do is cherish every moment that I can with my last as if it were my first time.
Legal Disclaimer: **No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST- treated cows)
This post is sponsored by Similac.
*Not from human milk
***Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant nutrition. For moms who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, formula can be used. Talk to your pediatrician about what type of infant formula is best for your child.
