They Grow Up so Fast

Today I am feeling nostalgic. I look at my precious Joey-bean and
I am in awe of big he is! My tiny, sweet 6lb 12oz baby boy is now a
chubby, sweet 12 pounder! He has grown over 3 inches since he came into
the world and does so many wonderful things. He can hold his head up
extremely well, he can coo and gurgle, he can smile a huge gummy grin,
he can hold his hands together and gum on them, and now he is trying to
sit up on his own! It's just not fair! I waited 8 years to have
another lil' one to hold and cuddle and time is going by much too
quickly. His daddy and I would love to be able to keep him little
forever, but it's not gonna happen. He is becoming a bit more demanding
as he grows which is to be expected. He is a generally happy baby and
is my little ray of sunshine. All he has to do is smile or gurgle and
he melts my heart instantly.
We have watched
this same thing happen with all of our children and it makes me proud
yet sad all at the same time. Jazz, who was a little girl of only 6
when I met her daddy, is now 11. She looks more and more like a young
woman and less like a child. She will be starting middle school in a
few weeks. She is very good with her baby brother, making him smile and
coo on a regular basis. Her other brothers infuriate and frustrate her
on a regular basis (isn't that what little brothers do best?) and she
is a professional at eye-rolling and sarcasm. She would much rather
hang with adults than play with her brothers and holds her own very
well in conversation, though she often thinks of herself as being older
than she is which can present some issues, but we are working on that!
She has a very quick wit (like daddy) and has a great sense of humor.
She is still, and I'm sure always will be, a daddy's girl.
Drew
is as tall as my shoulder and as thin as a rail. Daddy affectionately
calls him a stick figure on a regular basis. He is a good reader and
loves making up stories and drawing pictures of super heroes and
villains of his own creation. He also loves to make his baby brother
smile and coo. He loves to make up songs and dances and can be very
entertaining. He gave us all a very good scare the weekend before last
and wiped out real bad on his scooter. He hit a patch of loose gravel
and skidded onto his face. In addition to road rash on several body
parts, he managed to hit his chin so hard that when we took him to the
hospital for stitches, they cleaned it out and you could see the bone.
Thank God daddy was home to keep him calm and take him to the ER, cause
I get queasy just remembering it. My baby was hurt real bad and it made
me sick to think of it. He was really tough and his stitches came out
yesterday. he promptly went swimming this morning as he couldn't the
whole time he had them in. I remember how he would say mama when he was
a wee one, how he loved to bounce and spin in his exersaucer, how he
loved to wear anyone's shoes but his own and how I loved watching his
chubby little face while slept in my arms. It seems like yesterday, but
8 years have gone by....and my first baby is no longer a baby, but
forever my baby in heart.
Isaiah, our little
ball of energy, is getting so big. He is just a few inches shorter than
his brother, though they can wear the same size (waist) in pants. He is
a little stockier than Drew. Daddy comments all the time about how I
have "wussified" him, LOL! He used to fear nothing, to the point of
being scary. He has cal,ed down a lot as far as that goes. Just the
other day when the kids were taking the trash out, he was stung 3 times
by bees. Poor thing squealed all the way back to the porch. Mommy took
him in and sprayed the bites with dermoplast and he was fine. He is
doing well with his schoolwork, especially his math and anything
artsy-crafty I give him to do. We were reminiscing just the other day
about how he used to call Drew "Doo Doo". He has changed so much since
I first started help raise him. He was just shy of 2 when I started
taking care of him. He used to be the type of kid who was perfectly
content to take a toy to a corner of the room and play quietly for
hours all alone. Now he is a very active, bubbly and LOUD little boy.
The kid CAN"T sit still and play video games, do schoolwork, eat.... or
anything else for that matter. I am so thankful I am able to
homeschool, cause he the type of kid who I think the school system
would label ADHD. He is very bright and loveable and loves to snuggle,
especially with Daddy. If brother Drew is not around for him to play
with, the poor kid is lost. He does not enjoy being by himself at all
like he did when he was younger. He is very curious about everything
and asks a million questions daily.
I guess the
point of all this is to say my kiddos are growing in so many ways, and
I just wish I could freeze them in time for a little while. I should
be, and I really am, thankful that they are growing and healthy......
but it doesn't make it any easier to accept that before we know it,
they will all be all grown up. Ah the joys and sorrows of parenting!