Bell Jars and Fireflies

I have two glass bell jars whose contents I change seasonally- after Labor Day the summer shells and sand make way for small pumpkins and lady apples - which after Thanksgiving will be replaced by pinecones and small ornaments- microcosms of the seasons temporarily captured.

Lila turned three months old last week and suddenly we are thrust into a routine of balancing schedules and our little girl's daily care.  My maternal instincts pull me home to the safety of our proverbial bell jar- where I can control the environment and Lila's every interaction.  I long for our times together, the weekends, the early dawn when we bring her into bed - our boat in a safe harbor before we set sail on our separate ways.

As much as we want to capture these moments, like a firefly in a jar, the pleasure is fleeting.  While Lila is still so small we know that by gently easing her into the big world the more quickly she will find the wings that will bring her home.

"They Grow so Fast..."

If we had a nickle for every time we have heard these familiar words in Lila's short eleven weeks her piggy bank would runneth over.  In these early months of Lila's life we have grown to appreciate the sentiment and come to realize that the birth of a child evokes such powerful emotion- taking parents of grown children back to those first days when both they and their babies were filled with wide-eyed wonder.  We are in those wonder days- where we just stare into Lila's beautiful blue eyes, as each day they become more clear and stay open a little bit longer.  So we thank you- our friends, colleagues, the waitress at the diner, the fans at the football game, the commuters on the train - the parents who look at Lila then with palpable emortion turn to their own still small children and say, "you used to be that tiny," thank you for reminding us to take that pause and to savor every minute and baby smile- even during those blurry-eyed late night feedings. And to our precious Lila, we promise to cherish every second of you and to pause and soak up those simplest of moments, for it does go so very fast.