Sensory Memories

A friend of mine told me once that every now and then she stops what she is doing and records in her journal what she is experiencing through her five senses. She does this mostly as a way of reflecting on her children, but she also says it helps her appreciate what's going on in the moment, instead of letting the small things always pass by unnoticed.

I have been experience lots of things these days that I want to capture and savor, but I would be journaling all day long if I tried to record every little detail. So, I thought I would put my senses to work and write down what they are taking in these days. I hope to look back at this and be able to remember somewhat the minute details of this precious season with my baby boy and sweet girl.


SIGHT: a constant bruise on Nora's forehead from her toddling stumbles. sippy cups draped everywhere. burp cloths scattered around the house. nursing pads in various places that I keep forgetting to pick up. dandelions in our grass. Liam's double (almost triple) chin. dirty diapers accumulating. Liam's first smiles, most of them half smiles. Nora's precious, animated expressions. rain. flies that keep getting in as we go in and out. Nora's striped lion. lots of hair in my hairbrush. endless episodes of Sesame Street and Curious George. Nora helping me fold clothes. Jonathan pushing Nora in the swing in our backyard. Both of my babies in the bathtub. Liam's crinkled up face as he starts to cry.

SMELL: spit up. dirty diapers. freshly mowed grass. more spit up. flower that Nora picked from the weeds and grass. old spit up dried on my shirt. baby milk breath.

SOUND: the hum of the sound machine. Liam's grunts (my favorites are the ones he makes in the middle of the night). "Honey Honey" song from Mamma Mia! (Nora's favorite). "Hole ju" (translated "Hold you"). "Look Momma." "Hey Brother!" "Up. Down." Theme song to Elmo's World. lawn mowers. kids playing at the neighborhood pool. Nora reading her books. Liam's cries. "I do it." "I did it!" Jonathan's pager going off. Songs by Kari Jobe and Christy Nockles. Pitter-pattering of little feet.

TOUCH: soft, baby skin. wipes. lots of wipes. toilet paper, as I try to rewind it onto the roll because Nora keeps unrolling the whole thing. one heavy baby boy. one skinny almost two-year old. bare feet on the concrete and in the grass. sun-kissed skin after playing outside. tears. hugging friends that are moving away, too far away. little baby clothes. Liam's thinning baby hair. tickling Nora.

TASTE: lots of fresh summer fruit: pineapple, melons, peaches. FUZE drinks. Baked Lays Southwestern Ranch flavor. mexican food. fried okra. popsicles. pineapple sherbert. Jonathan's wonderful grilled food. all the things Nora "shares" with me.

This was harder than it looked. I will probably add to the lists as things come to me, but I know it will always be impossible to remember everything that is going on these days. I hope to keep so many memories of my kiddos at this age, so hopefully this will help!