By Sharon Klump 
Somewhere right now, there’s a woman brand new to motherhood. Memories from the hospital are fresh in her mind as she fumbles through the first few weeks home with a newborn.
Her nights are filled with rocking and feeding, diaper changes in the dark, and dimly lit cell phone screens when laying that sweet baby down just doesn’t seem to be an option.
And the tears! Tears of happiness, of exhaustion, of unconditional love, and of course tears from the random 30-second TV commercial because her hormones just can’t take the sentimental stuff right now.
Eventually, she will sleep again (probably, at least), and the crying—both hers and the baby’s—will subside.
And then one day, she’s ready to dive back in for more. She experiences moments of pure joy as siblings meet for the first time and faces light up. Exclamations are made like, “I’m gonna love my baby sister forever!” And weeks later, when reality sets in, that same someone exclaims, “Hold me with both arms, Mommy!”
Years pass and the sounds of siblings fighting and forgiving, teaching and learning, loving and leading are what fill the house each day.
Eventually, everyone is sleeping through the night (eh, most of the time!). The tears are more infrequent now and can often be cured with a quick hug and some reassurance that everything will be okay.
And then the littleness starts to leave. Real independence sets in more and more each day with friends and activities taking up more and more family time. Wasn’t that big girl just a toddler snuggling on the couch watching Mickey Mouse? Oh, Toodles . . . where has the time gone?
Everyone is sleeping now—too much, actually—as the struggle to wake everyone up in time for school in the mornings is real. There are still tears from time to time, really more like monumental meltdowns as puberty has set in and the safety of Mom’s arms is where all of those built-up emotions spill out from time to time.
Now she savors the conversations in the car and the moments when she’s sought out for advice because just like that, those babies aren’t babies anymore. Soon they will be starting new adventures with a different roof over their head.
Sentimental tears will pop up occasionally as a Facebook memory shows a toothless baby or when a beloved stuffed animal falls from a shelf in the closet. And although the days of mothering kids all under one roof will end, the journey itself will continue to unfold in the most beautiful way.
