Who is this little boy, and where did he put my baby?

Isn't it funny how it seems literally overnight your baby morphs into a "little boy" (or girl!)? It's like this slow transformation that happens so quickly right under your nose! I know that last statement makes absolutely NO SENSE but it really seems to be the best descriptor of what I feel. This "growing up" thing just doesn't seem to make sense - one moment your holding a tiny little baby completely dependenent on you and then you blink an eye and that little tiny baby is a jumping, talking, thinking, laughing little kid.

And so it seems that motherhood for me has been this constant balance of enjoying the present moment, grieving the ones in the past, and looking in hopeful anticipation for what's ahead! There are certain "baby stage" things that I certainly miss - those cuddly moments, all of the "firsts," the coos and smiles. Ah, precious moments those were. And of course, there are many I DO NOT miss (like the every 3 hour feedings and sleep deprivation!). Then there are the these present "where we are now" moments that I am head over heels for. To name a few....

Caleb's EVER so endearing "Mommmmma"

The way he reaches out for my hand to show me things or take me places!

His little boy giggles

New words he's adding daily to his vocabulary (moo moo = which could mean cow OR a movie depending on context, bapple = apple, LAN-AN = Landon, Ab or Ba = Abbie, a throaty "g" sound = gee gee, mo-mo = which againd depending on context could mean I want more OR someone is mowing, and the list goes on....)

the way he is putting signs together with words

his hugs and kisses, which shouldn't be confused with wrestling and biting

how very FLEXIBLE he is no matter where we are going or what we are doing

his new love of Thomas the train

the way he sits on his little chair to read books or watch a movie

Ah, I could keep going on and on with a list of things that currently make my heart MELT over this precious little boy. I end every night thanking God that I get to be THIS little boy's Momma. Yet there are still those things I anxiously look forward to in the future, like a longer attention span than 5 seconds and the ability to understand and respond (positivtely of course!) to important things I'm trying to communicate to him. Along with this growing up stuff, comes a "mind of your own," and we are already beginning to see glimpses of that from our little ball of passion!

But what has been so fun to watch has been this shift from a little baby who was so dependent upon me to this little boy who is becoming my BIGGEST helper.


We bake together...


He is always 2 steps behind when I am vacuuming...

He's on a stool hands in suds when I am doing dishes....


He'd help outside in the yard or the garden for hours!...


And he's a HUGE help with the laundry! In fact, a little while back, Kenny was sorting laundry in our bedroom, and totally unprompted, C ran to his room (where there was an empty laundry basket) and brought it to Kenny! We CRACKED up...it's absolutely amazing how much little ones learn from what they watch.

And just as Cabes is watching our every move these days, it's essential to watch his as well because the moment you take your eyes off of him, you might find this...

or this...

And so as my baby boy continues to morph into a little boy, it is heavy upon my heart that he is WATCHING and LISTENING to everything his daddy and I do. I pray that we can set an example for him of how to live and love to the FULLEST. Our little boy is teaching and growing us up so very much these days, and at the same time taking us back to the joy of childhood. Again, I realize that last statement makes little sense, but again, it seems the only way to describe this whole journey that is just so hard to put into words that make sense. My heart is just full of nonsense over this amazing journey :)