Seasons and my baby turning one

In today’s modern world we can pretty much get any fruit or vegetable that we want…apart from the season it typically grows in. We’re accustomed to having what we want when we want it. But reality is that seasons still come and go and when you enjoy fruit from it’s natural season it’s really really good. This will all make sense at the end I promise….

Zeke’s first birthday was a big deal for me, not in the sense that I wanted to throw an all out rager like I did when Waylon (my firstborn) turned one. It was a big deal because I feel life moving faster and a new season of motherhood approaching.

I loved this past year; when Ezekiel was born I felt like our family was complete. Though tired and sleep deprived, I savored his newborn days, wore him as long as possible until he wiggled his way out of wraps. I cherished this first year of his life. Leading up to his first birthday I felt like I was “white-knuckling” the idea that he would be “one-years-old” and no longer “something-months-old”. Nothing too drastic will change on his first birthday but a part of me felt the need to grieve this transition from infant to toddler.

Change often feels like a loss. Watching my children grow is bittersweet as the years etch closer to the time when I must let them go to be independent men. Ah I’m tearing up as I write this because it’s all so rich… rich in love and life. This is the stuff that life was meant to be lived for. I have come to a place of acceptance that the upcoming seasons will be just as sweet, different but still sweet.

Whether you are a mother learning to roll with the times or in a completely different stage of life, here’s what I know about seasons.

1. Good things end and good things begin.
2. It’s okay to feel stuck in between seasons. Dive into the weirdness and discomfort and see if you can discover more about yourself.
3. Change can be exciting and terrifying at the same time.
4. Emotions created by changing seasons should be acknowledged… making transitions easier.

On Sunday 9-4-16 we dedicated Ezekiel in the chapel at our church with family and friends and prayed for guidance and wisdom as we continue to raise our baby boy. Later that day we also celebrated his 365 days on this earth with cake and ice cream and a small gathering of friends and family.

I open my palms to the heavens in gratitude for the gift of all the sweet seasons that I have lived already…and the ones yet to come. Bring on the toddler years!

*Music written and sung by Rheanna Downey // Party styling by Cap and Crown.

xoxo,