The sale of our house prompted a huge clean up, and much of what we gave away were the childrens' old bits and pieces they've grown out of (already!). It got me thinking about milestones, and the ones which aren't necessarily celebrated, but have a massive impact on family life.
I'm not the kind of mum who grieves the passing of milestones. In fact, I'm the exact opposite. I enjoy the kids more and more with each passing month and year, and cherish every new skill they learn, more so than if I had learnt it myself. I think too that because they're so close in age, I can readily see in Jasmine what Beau will be doing soon. And I guess, being youngest, he's always trying to keep up with Jasmine, and often learns things much younger than she did.
One of the biggest milestones we've celebrated this year is no more prams! Prams were one of the most critical accoutrements of new motherhood, and I spent many hours researching and choosing which prams would suit us best. I only wish they'd come with tackometers so I knew how many kilometers I've covered over the years.
I remember when we bought our first pram a friend (in the pram business) told me that families buy on average 5 prams. I was aghast! How could anyone possibly need 5 prams?! But here we are, having just sold our last one, and at last count, we had ended up with no fewer than 5 prams in the last 6 years.
1) Mountain Buggy single three wheeler pram - used to clip everything (legs, door frames, shop stands) due to it's wide wheel base, and travelled many, many, many kilometers with me and Jasmine in the first year of her life, while I walked away the baby blues under a pair of dark sunglasses. Our buggy was bartered for a photo shoot when I was preggie with Beau.
2) The Qld Beema Q pram - we quickly realised we couldn't easily get around Brissy and Currumbin without wheels, and eBay delivered Jasmine a sweet ride up north, which I think completely rusted out and ended up in a hard waste collection when Grandma and Papa moved a couple of years ago.
3) Phil & Ted double three wheeler pram - when we realised Beau was coming along much sooner than I expected we quickly upgraded to a double. This pram has been the longest lasting of all, and we only sold it a few weeks ago (after collecting dust for almost a year in the shed).
4) Maclaren stroller - the 'light' pram, perfect for the malls at Chaddy, and lost/stolen a ridiculously short time after I purchased it when Beau was still a wee mite. I accidentally left it on the footpath on Glenferrie Road when I was in a hurry getting Beau all strapped in to his carseat and all our shopping into the boot and racing to pick up Jasmine from Kinder. I came back a short while later to find it gone, never to be seen again. Even on this blog.
5) Silvercross stroller - the Maclaren's replacement. Only used for a brief time before being loaned to a friend going overseas, after which we realised that we didn't really need it any longer, so they kept it.
Looking at these photos really makes me realise how much the Little Lawrences have grown up. No wonder I'm looking so old now too!
I love that we don't have to lug around a pram any longer. I love that it's not lurking in the entrance of our hallway. But most of all I love that both the kids can walk, run, ride, scoot and skip their way around now.
