I remember feeling so awkward when Danielle Ice snapped this photograph.

Exposed.She reassured me that this would be something I would treasure years down the road and boy, was she right. It’s the only photo I know that I have of nursing any of my three babies. And as I rounded my house today, gathering all of the burp cloths I have strategically placed on the arm of every chair and couch, I felt that hesitation. I looked at the nursing pillow and knew I just wasn’t ready to put it away, even though Emma hasn’t nursed in four days. It’s what I wanted and yet I want it back.

I suppose we feel this nostalgia whenever we face a great change: a move, a new job, school, partner, or a phase in our child’s life. Anticipation and yet the desire to freeze time.

We are moving forward. I’ve shared my body with these three little girls for the last 5 years and as sad as I am to experience the end of this era, I look forward to reclaiming what was once always only mine.

Danielle Ice Photography