Things I Want to Remember...

...about Emma: the way she looked at me with her big, dark eyes right after she was born; the way she felt so safe in my arms; how peaceful she is while she is sleeping; the softness of her little, chubby hand touching my face; the way she would say "peas" (for please) and slide her hand across her chest with such enthusiasm when she really wanted something; the way I felt when I saw her first smile, heard her first laugh, saw her crawl for the first time and take her first steps; the unbelieveable joy I feel just watching her be a kid, blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk on the sidewalk, playing with friends; the way she sits, looking at books and recounting the stories, with toddler-like accuracy; he tiny, chubby little feet, how soft and precious they are; her innocence; the sound of her saying, "I love you too Mommy", "I sure do love you", "Mommy what can I do to help?" and "I love Jacob, he's my best friend"; watching her read a book to her newborn brother; the sound she makes while sucking on her 'nana' right after falling asleep; her honesty and curiosity; listening to her sing "tinkle tinkle little tar, how I wonder what you ahh..."; listening to her sing "you are my sunshine"; the feeling of her sleeping soundly, peacefully, in my arms;

...about Jacob: the quiet peacefullness he had when he was born; his big, dark eyes when he was born and finally opened them; the way he chews on his hands like there is nothing better; his first gummy smile; his first little laugh that I just couldn't get him to repeat, but that brought happy/sad tears to my eyes; his snorting, snoring and loud breathing; the peacefulness he exhibits while he is sleeping; his smell; his skinny, tiny little feet; his skinny little butt; the 'mmm, mmm' sound he makes when he is eating, like he was starving; the monkey-like screach he would make when he was a newborn (I lovingly nicknamed him Monkey because of this and his long fingers and toes); the newborn curiosity and awe he exhibits when he watches Emma play; the joy I feel when I think of how blessed I am to have my little boy, when every fiber in me thought we would have a girl and thought I wanted another girl.

Time passes so quickly and memories slowly fade. My children are precious and my heart so wants to hold onto these memories, for them to never fade. I can only take so many photos, not every memory can be recalled as if it just happened. Maybe noting these will help them remain vivid in my mind, as the hours, days, years pass, new events take place. I can only hope that I will never forget these little things that bring me such joy.