What I See

They see you and exclaim, "He's SO big!  When did he get so big?"

I look at you and I wonder what they see.

I look at you and I see the same boy I have always seen.

The boy who still calls for me in the morning to get him out of bed.

The boy who cuddles up on my lap and likes to be held for the first few moments of the day.

The boy who pouts and turns in on himself when things don't go his way.

The boy who feels such JOY at the smallest of things and such anger at the tiniest of offenses.

The boy who laughs with such abandon and loves disgusting things.

The boy with big lips, big cheeks and a big heart.

I see our big, beautiful baby boy.

But in just two days this baby boy will be taking his first steps into kindergarten, into a world away from home.

Is that possible?  Could so many others be seeing what I have been missing?  That our beautiful boy is, indeed, growing up and up and up?

It seems to be so.

Another one leaving the nest.........tentatively and for just a few hours..........always returning, making his way home.......and yet.

And yet it is a step closer to the growing up and growing out and growing away......

But that is another day, another milestone.

For today I will treasure the morning cuddles and wake up call, the big, loud belly laughs, the crocodile tears over the little injustices of a 5 year old boy and the the tender heart of our big, beautiful baby boy.

Tomorrow comes soon enough.

Just ask the weary mama of 5 years ago who put her baby to sleep each night, wrapped up tight and placed in the bouncy seat in the crib and woke up to a boy who runs hard, plays hard and loves hard.