I can’t believe it’s already here. My firstborn is turning 3, and it feels like the blink of an eye since those early days. Three years—three trips around the sun—and somehow, it feels like we just brought this tiny little person home from the hospital yesterday. Time has a way of slipping by so quickly when you’re in the thick of it, doesn’t it? One moment, you’re counting down the days to your due date, wondering what kind of parent you’ll be, and the next moment, you’re watching your toddler blow out candles on a cake with a character they requested and wondering where the time went.

Its true what they say- the days can feel so long, but the years fly by. I look at my little one now—full of energy, opinions, and personality—and I can’t help but feel a little wistful. One moment I was holding a sleepy, squishy newborn in my arms, marveling at the tiniest of details—tiny fingers, little baby breath, the softness of their skin. Now, those chubby cheeks are starting to slim out, and the baby babble has turned into real words. Real words. Words that can now demand what they want for dinner, or ask, “Why?” for the hundredth time in one afternoon.

I never expected this feeling of nostalgia to come so soon. You don’t realize how quickly those baby days slip away until they are gone, realizing that so much has already changed. The firsts come fast and furious in those early years—first smile, first giggle, first step—but now, as I watch my little one turn 3, it’s the lasts that are weighing on me. The last time they’ll be this small, the last time they’ll need me to carry them everywhere, the last time their little hands will wrap around my finger in the sweetest way.

The transformation has been amazing, but it’s also bittersweet. As a parent, you celebrate every milestone—every new word, every new skill, every new discovery—but with that celebration comes a quiet ache for the days when your baby needed you for everything.

There’s something uniquely heart-wrenching about watching your child grow up. In the span of these three years, I’ve gone from desperately longing for a full night of sleep to realizing that I’ll one day miss the sound of little feet padding down the hallway at 3 a.m. And the chaos—oh, the chaos—that once drove me to my breaking point, I can already feel myself missing. The toys scattered across the floor, the constant need for snacks, the wild energy that filled every room. It’s easy to get lost in the mess and the constant demands of the toddler years, but now, with the milestone of 3 approaching, I realize just how precious those moments were.

For now, I’ll hold onto these fleeting moments just a little bit longer. I know that time is moving forward, whether I want it to or not. I can’t stop it. But I can savor these moments, these days, these years. I can hold them in my heart, just a little bit longer.

So, as we celebrate this beautiful milestone—I can’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come, and how fast it’s all gone. I’m proud, so incredibly proud, of the little person they are becoming. But I’m also learning to hold space for the sadness, for the bittersweet moments when I realize that the baby days are slipping away, faster than I ever imagined they would.

Here’s to 3 years—and to all the memories, lessons, and love we’ve shared along the way. It feels like the blink of an eye, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment. Happy birthday, my little one. You’ve already given me more than I could ever have imagined.