Sloane Heffernan: Bye, bye, baby

I never thought getting rid of a piece of furniture could get me so emotional, but this particular piece of furniture held a piece of my heart.

It was a crib that I bought nine years ago before the birth of my first son. It was such an exciting time, filled with joy and anxiety. I wanted the nursery to be perfect. The crib would hold my precious baby. In the end, it held three precious babies.

Now it was time to pack up the crib. How did the time go by so fast? I tried to convince my two-year-old daughter that she didn’t really need a big girl bed, but there is no telling that child what to do. She has a mind of her own and she would not stop talking about getting a big girl bed.

I felt ridiculous shedding so many tears for a crib, but it was what the crib symbolized that broke my heart. It was the end of a chapter in my life. There would be no more babies in our house. Our babies were growing up. 

People tell you that time flies when you have a baby. They say cherish every moment. I remember thinking, what in the world are they talking about? There were days when my babies couldn’t grow up fast enough! I wished some of that time away. The sleepless nights and demanding schedule were a struggle.

Now, looking back, I truly understand what they were talking about. Babies do grow up fast, too fast!! I wish I could go back for just one day. I would love to smell that baby smell, feel that silky-soft baby skin and gently lay my babies back in that crib.

Just thinking about it makes me cry like a baby …