Stop and smell the...tulips

I don't mean to keep sounding so cliche, but I am speaking truly from the heart when I say that Luke has already taught me so many life lessons. I have always been a total busy-body, always on-the-go and hardly able to just sit around and do nothing. Even if there is nothing to be done around the house (a rare occasion), I will find something to work on. It's not that I have this endless amount of energy, as some people do, but just that I have silly guilt if I'm not constantly being productive. Luke has taught me to enjoy those precious moments that we, especially moms, too often let pass us by in the blink of an eye.

The other day I was looking at photographs from the first couple of months after Luke and Olivia were born and sobbed as I realized that I barely remember any of their first precious moments. That time is such a blur, a fog, a distant and vague memory. Granted, we were working on virtually no sleep and were spending much of our time in hospitals, but I can't seem to gather up any details beyond the photos in my hand. It was survival mode at that point, truly one day at a time. Still, I already miss those sweet, soft newborn moments, perhaps with the exception of the middle of the night feedings!

Life with two newborns and a toddler is chaos at its best...perfect for a busy-body like me. However, add to that the daily challenges of coordinating Luke's therapies and doctors appointments, and it's tough to find the time to "stop and smell the tulips" (as I take in the beauty of Holland). Luke's schedule this week includes speech therapy, nutrition evaluation, appointment at Children's with Dr. Reynolds, occupational therapy, appointment at Loyola for his follow-up hearing test, and physical therapy. Because my time with him is usually spent on such scheduled appointments or working on our "homework" from his therapists, I've been forced to appreciate those small moments that have become my favorite part of the day. Oddly enough, even changing his diaper has become a time for special one-on-one interaction. Likewise, I am savoring those times with Jackson and Olivia as well. Each time I get Olivia from her crib she gives me the biggest smile and we have our own little moment. A few days ago, after I had just gotten Luke and Olivia down for a nap, I planned to let Jackson watch a little "Go, Diego, Go!" so I could get some laundry and dishes done. As I was folding the laundry, he happily sang and danced around me to the intro song for Diego. As I watched him, I thought to myself...stop and smell the tulips, stop and smell the tulips. I left the pile of laundry on the floor, turned up the volume, and we danced and danced. We must have hit rewind on that intro song a dozen times. I laughed so hard I almost cried, and Jackson was so excited that we almost had a potty accident! So thank you, my Luke, for constantly reminding me what is important and for helping me learn to take in the beauty of life's everyday moments.

On a side note, I can't talk about it too much for fear of jinxing things (silly, I know), but Luke continues to show great progress in a number of areas. He is feeding well, growing nicely, stooling on his own more often, and gaining strength in all parts of his body!