My husband and I are thinking of moving again. This time, it will not be a cross-country move, but probably somewhere close. We have moved a lot in our marriage, and are currently living somewhere the longest we’ve ever lived in one home since we got married 10 years ago. We have only lived here 2.5 years, and I’m getting the itch to move.
Moving with a baby is hard, though. In fact, I get a little nostalgic every time we move because my babies are growing up so fast. I remember when we moved out of our tiny 2 bedroom apartment that was the first home of my oldest. I took pictures of the apartment to show her so that she would know what house she came home to as a baby. It is always special bringing your new baby into their first home. And, likewise, it is always sad to leave. You think that in their tiny life, the familiarity of your home has been all they have known. How will the baby adjust? Will your baby “miss” his old room?
The truth is that kids are a lot more adaptable than we give them credit for. When we bought our first home, that was an exciting time. We brought our second child home in that house. We thought that we would be there a long time, and in fact, he was just under a year when we moved. I was sad that his first room would also be soon forgotten. Again, I took pictures and we did a video walkthrough so that he would remember his first home.
Now, we have had our last baby. He is 9 months old, and we are thinking of moving again. It does make me sad that we have so many of his first memories in this home. Maybe it is not really about his room at all, but all the little milestones your baby reaches in each corner of your home. It is hard to leave those behind. But, time marches on, baby will create new memories in the next house, and you will treasure those just as much.
So, don’t worry about baby being sad. Instead, focus on moving forward. You have all of those pictures, and memories to think about when you look back at your family pictures and watch your home videos. Home sweet home is state of mind, not a location.
*Photo Courtesy of Morguefile.com