My baby's leaving me

I blinked and he crawled. I turned my back for a second, and he pulled himself up to stand. I took a nap and he got a tooth. While each advancement is a new reason to celebrate, I also find myself mourning the loss of my baby. In just a matter of months he will be replaced with a toddler. My little bun, my armful of baby yumminess won't come back. I can hardly stand the thought of it. I guess I didn't expect to feel sad about this, so I am taken quite by surprise. I know that I will love little toddler Munch as much as baby Munch, but I am just not ready yet. I need another year, maybe. It all just needs to slow down! The though of his gummy smile turning into a toothy grin makes me want to cry.

I had a hard time when my fragile newborn became a chunky baby. I tried to memorize every feature, gesture, and cry. But as with dreams, just as I tried to grasp the memories and file them away as permanent records, they escaped my grasp and evaporated. Our memory is poor archival tool indeed.

His head just smells so lovely when it is damp with sweat.