bittersweet.

My mom says babies are babies until they are three. This is very comforting when your little one is not yet three because it gives them plenty of time to be a baby.

It's not so comforting when your baby is almost three.

And it's really not helpful when said baby is your. last. baby.

This weekend Mady traded up her toddler bed for a big girl full bed (my bed when I was a little girl too!)

Add her tiny little toddler bed to "The List":

Good bye itty bitty newborn clothes and impossibly small diapers;
Good bye newborn screams (and sleepless nights).
Good bye newborn smells...and newborn snuggles.
Good bye nursing, good bye bottles;
Good bye baby food and high chairs and booster seats;
Good bye baby spoons and formula dispensers and bibs.
Good bye baby gym, baby bath, jungle ExerSaucer, Graco swing.
Good bye paci's (hello, thumb!).
Good bye infant carrier - and hauling it everywhere we go;
Good bye Pampers (sizes 1, 2 & 3). Good bye changing table.
Good bye double stroller and push along car.
Good bye onesies and cute little hats,
See you later 3-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24...and 2T.
Good bye baby pool float.
Good bye crib. Good bye Pack N' Play.
Good bye toddler bed. Good bye crib sheets.

And the here today, just-about-gone tomorrow:
Strollers, sippy cups, board books, and Pull-Ups.

It's hard to believe that in January, we'll be signing her up for preschool next fall (and also a bit laughable if you've carried on a conversation with Mady recently... I keep asking Matt, "Will they let her come if she still can't talk?!")

But with every good bye, there's always a hello. Hello sleeping through the night, hello self-feeding, hello putting shoes on, hello independence.

(Hers and ours.)

That's where the bittersweet comes in. With every item we pack away or pass on, we're also gaining something new, something fresh, something filled with hope, ready to shine in a not-so-distant future.

Because childhoods are fleeting and fast, but that's OK. We only have them in our nest for but a moment, but that moment is beautiful and full and it's enough.

So remember the past. Savor the now. And look brightly towards the future.

Accept the bitter. Embrace the sweet.

It a mama's only choice.

{Favorite Mady Posts}

introducing Madelyn Mae.

dedication letter.

one.

third one's a charm.

baby love.

two & a half.

All photography is the work of Mindy of Mindy Leigh Photography.

Yes, we like her. We like her A LOT.