Milestones.....happy and sad times!!

Welcome Leyton Allen Patrick Shockey April 30, 2009

With my son's 2nd birthday fast approaching, and having spent the past week working on potty training, I have been thinking about milestones.  Why is it that we all anticipate milestones?  Things like first steps, first words, first birthday, being potty trained, with such excitement and then almost be sad that they have passed and you won't be able to get that time back again.  It is a bitter sweet pill when you realize that your sweet baby boy is no longer a baby but a toddler in full swing. 

Sweet Sleeping boy!!

Not sure of his first cereal.  Turned out he loved it!!

I can't even express how excited I was today when my almost 2 year old son stood in front of me and to my dismay counted from 1 to 11 all by himself!!  I was speechless so proud and beaming with excitement.  I scooped him up and said "Mommy is so proud of you when did you get to be such a big boy?"  Then with in seconds I realized what I had just said and what was happening and I was a bit sad that he is such a big boy and that he can do that.  I am so proud and excited for every achievement he makes and yet I wish time would stand still at some moments and that he would never get any bigger. 

All grown up my kiddos Jared(13), Leyton(1.5), Leah(8) and Nathan(10).

I think it is very apparent to me how fast time can go by when I look at the Brown kids.  I have been with them loving and caring for them, there to experience all of their milestones, for almost 9 years now....WOW!!!  It is so weird to look at Jared (now 14) so grown up, such a teenager...headed to high school next year ...shudder...and with a girl friend (who is very sweet by the way)...double shudder.  Then think back to his first day of kindergarten or the shy and sweet 5 year old I met when I moved here.  Or to send Nathan (now 11) off to Cispus (outdoor school for 3 days) or think about next year when he will move on to middle school and then think back to him watching the Wiggles with me in diapers (he was in diapers not me...LOL).  And then there is my sweet little Leah only weeks old when I moved here now soon to be 9 YEARS OLD!!!  She is every bit of 9 going on 29 and so grown up.  No longer a sweet little baby but fast approaching being a young lady.  Two phrases come to mind when I am looking at this 1. Oh, how time flies when we are having fun!! 2. Put me back in, Put me back in!!!! (from Look Who's Talking).

My big boy using the potty!!!

How can I not look at my sweet baby boy whom I remember before we had even met him just a gummy bear moving in my belly and wish that I could make time stand still.   Just enjoy him and snuggle with him for as long as I wish.  Maybe invent a time machine so that I can go back and experience all of these milestones over and over again.? Alas, I know time won't stand still and you have to do your best to relish the moments and milestones as they come and look towards the next and new ones to come.   They are so exciting and make you feel so proud it's hard to not look forward to them and be so so proud when they do come.