Cuddle time

Tonight, I realized just how special it is to cuddle with my baby. Between trying to put baby down for nap and soothe achy tummies and gas, it's hard to remember that the time I'm spending holding him is so brief. My darling Charlotte is only two and a half and most of the time wants her independence. When I try to give her a good cuddle, she responds with a giggle, a "no mama" and pushes me away. Nicholas is a pretty squirmy baby so when he is awake and happy, he mostly wants to face forward and look at what's ahead. Tonight, he was passed out from a big meal and fell asleep all floppy so I held him and nuzzled him and gave him some extra squeezes before putting him down. Normally, I'd be praying that he stays down, but right now, I kinda hope that big gulp of air he swallowed wakes him up so that I can give him another nuzzle.

Nicholas moves around nonstop in my arms, so I'm not sure how long I will get to hold him tight. Charlotte was a pretty stationary baby so I don't think she started stiffening up to drop out of my arms until at least two. Maybe a couple of months after she turned two. Babies aren't really solid enough to give them a good squeeze until about three months. So we get from about three months old until about twenty five, twenty six months to really cuddle with each of our babies? That is so short in the big picture of life. Makes me sad and I will definitely be nostalgic later. So I have already missed out on cuddling Charlotte with this realization. I will have to take full advantage of my time left with Nicholas.