Growing Up

I've been revelling in the beauty of my little angel boy the last few days or so. That's why I haven't written. (Truthfully, he's been sick, which leads to days filled with "Mommy, hold me" and "I want (fill in the blank)," followed by screaming if the need isn't filled right then.) But throughout all this sickness, I've realized something grand about my little butter bean -- he's not a baby anymore. He's a little boy now. Almost three years old, in fact. And where has the time gone?

I don't remember much before my children were born. I think God does this purposely so we don't eat our young -- if we don't remember life before the kids, we won't want to go back there. (I'm only kidding -- why would I ever go back to life before my kids???) But I still remember moments of Tanner's babyhood. Holding him to my shoulder while on the phone, bouncing him around, and then realizing he was snoring in my ear. Carrying him everywhere because he just liked to be close. Speeding through all of our car rides (many times with earplugs) because he HARED riding in the car; now he begs to go bye-bye. Crying the first time he finally counted to 11. Crying again the first time he sang his ABC's, even though he still leaves out "T-U-V."

I've done a lot of crying with Tanner mostly because he's my last baby, and the firsts are also the lasts in this house.

So last week, filled with snot and boogers, I also enjoyed another first/last. We changed Tanner to his toddler bed. I've been putting this off for a while; most of you know about the struggles we've had with Kendall sleeping in her own bed, and now that we have her there, I was afraid of what Tanner might do if he could get out of his bed on his own. But he amazed me (again) and has yet to get out of the bed on his own. He waits for me to come and get him every time. I guess we're lucky to have a good sleeper. Though he pitched a fit at first ("Put the side back on, Mommy."), I think he likes his big boy bed quite well now; we even took the side off his crib at Mom's house.

Now I realize he's no longer a baby -- but he did give me some well-needed baby time last week when he fell asleep in my arms twice and I got to rock him in the recliner. And during those sweet moments, my rough and tumble little boy was my baby butter bean again.