Spring has sprung

Sunny, warmer days are upon us. With that comes the lush greenery that covers the entire city every year at this time. Of Atlanta’s many nicknames, my favorite might have to be “the city among the trees.” I moved to Atlanta at the beginning of the spring season a few years ago, so this season is particularly special to me. The city celebrates with the start of many festivals, people spend a lot of time outdoors, and it just feels like everyone comes out of hibernation. This past weekend, we did just that.
Since the weekend before was Anaïs’ birthday party and this coming weekend will be Easter, the four of us just really needed some downtime. We packed a picnic blanket, a soccer ball and some provisions and headed to one of the prettiest parks the city has to offer, Piedmont Park. It seemed as though everyone was doing exactly what we were doing—taking the time to relax, appreciate and savor our city.
While Jesse and Anaïs ran around with the soccer ball, Akira and I stayed behind on our blanket. He got a lot of tummy time that day, and it’s funny to look back and remember how he used to hate being on his belly. These days, if he isn’t trying to stand, he’s on his stomach happily playing with whatever is in front of him. Part of it is that he’s getting to the age now where he’s so excited about exploring his environment. He isn’t afraid to reach out to grab things, even if that means he tries feeding himself grass at the park!
He has mastered the art of rolling on the ground and scooting backwards to get to where he wants to go, but more recently, he’s been a little bit more adventurous and is actually holding himself up on his knees and pushing himself forward! There have been times when he’s even lifted himself up on his feet, as though he’s trying to get into the downward dog yoga posture. He hasn’t quite mastered it yet, but he’s also trying to get himself to a seated position when he’s on his hands and knees. With my help, I’ll move him to sit and he does a pretty fine job holding himself up.
It’s funny—I was chatting with one of the moms at Anaïs’ school the other day. She has two children, and she noticed how big Akira was getting. She exclaimed, “Doesn’t it just go so much faster with the second?” It hit me then that Akira is already 7-and-a-half months old. Where did that time go? She also remarked, “And with the second, you’re just not as paranoid or scared.” No truer words have been spoken. Because Anaïs was my first, everything was a potential hazard. Everything. With Akira? Not so much. I’ve given myself more slack on what I need to really worry about and what I feel just falls under the umbrella of growing up.
In many ways, I’m realizing that it’s not just my kids that are growing up and being more fearless with themselves. I’m also growing as a mom to let things happen as they happen. Because at the end of the day, isn’t that what life is all about?