making mommy memories

I didn't realize when I purchased a hand print ornament kit at Hobby Lobby that I was buying myself an emotional roller coaster. It was just on my to-do list for several weeks until the day I decided to get crafty. I opened my kit and read the instructions and before I knew it I was crying. Just the thought of me pulling these ornaments out of a box twenty years in the future had me spilling with emotion. I imagined touching the tiny casts of my baby's little hand prints and laughing while weeping over how much they had grown. And, I didn't just want to remember their hand size. I wanted to remember exactly what they looked like that day so that I could have their precious faces frozen in time as well. So, as any overzealous, hormonal mother would do, I took pictures of the process.

Let the record state that Hallie was very calm, composed, and excited about the process. She relished holding her hand still for one minute straight because she saw the picture of what it would become. Claire, on the other hand, thought I was trying to cement her hand permanently. She naturally tried to clutch and claw her way out of the mold, all the while wailing while I held her hand in place. But, when I look at her little hand on the Christmas tree, it looks still and peaceful. And Claire forgot about the terrifying ordeal as soon as she got her little paws on my instruction page. It was all worth it. And I now know to pack up these ornaments with a mini-pack of Kleenex so I can be prepared for the fountain of tears I'll be shedding in the future.