If I could keep you little...

"If I could keep you little..." is how the book began.  The book I could barely see behind my tear-filled eyes as I held my precious eight-month-old boy - squishy thighs and two-toothed smile and hands 'pat patting' on the pages - the book that we read together the morning I realized again that he continues to grow up.

And there's nothing I can do to stop it.

If I could keep you little, I'd hum you lullabies.
But then I'd miss you singing your concert's big surprise...

If I could keep you little, I'd cut your bread into shapes.
But then I'd miss you finding, "Hey, I like ketchup with my grapes!"..

If I could keep you little, I'd push your ducky float.
But then I'd miss you feeling the wind behind summer's boat...

If I could keep you little, I'd keep you close to me.
But then I'd miss you growing into who you're meant to be.

(by Marianne Richmond)

Why is it that we moms get sad at the thought of our little babies growing up on us?  We don't really want to still be changing their diapers when they are walking down the high school graduation aisle.  And we certainly would not be doing them any favors by cutting up their meat at their first dinner with a potential employer.  No mom in her right mind would expect those things.

But I bet each one of us has felt that lump-in-the-throat feeling when watching your child take his/her first steps... or wave a quick "Bye bye momma!" on the way to preschool.  I already feel this way, and my child is only eight months old.  I can't count the number of times Matthew says, "What are you going to do when ... (dot dot dot) ?" And I look doe-eyed at him and just say, "Lord, help me!"

Lord help all us mommas to embrace the new and be grateful for it.

...Grateful He has given us babies who do grow, because that means they are healthy.  And God wants to use their health for His kingdom.
...Grateful when our babies are sick, because that means they need healing.  And He wants them to be dependent on Him for all things.
...Grateful when our babies learn new skills, because that means their brains and bodies are developing, and God wants to use their mind and body for His kingdom work.
...Grateful when they say, "Bye bye momma!", because they can go out and be impacted by others for the Lord's kingdom and hopefully have an impact others as well.

...And just grateful for every moment from needing a cuddle and a lullaby to needing the car keys, because that means God has allowed us one more day to demonstrate to them God's selfless, compassionate, unending, covenant love... a love that continues to intercede for them in prayer and that loves enough to send them out so that they can show the same.  A love that is focused on Christ as its first love.

So in the spirit of embracing new developments, here are a few of William's most recent milestones in no specific order...

1. No more pacifier:
Last Sunday after church, I was inspired by how well my friend Nicky's little boy, Sawyer, was doing without his beloved paci.  I had been thinking about trying it out as well because my pediatrician had recommended we do so before he reached 9 months old.  We have also had a love/hate relationship with it, as William would lose it in his sleep and we would end up needing to put it back in a little too often.
I put him down for the night without it.  He cried like crazy for 5 minutes straight, and I just couldn't take it anymore.  But just before I got to his bedroom door, he stopped.  He was asleep!  The next day, the longest he cried at any naptime was 20 minutes, but usually it lasted only 5, and the next day was no crying at all.  We are now on day four, and I don't think he even remembers the paci.  He is actually less fussy in public places, believe it or not.  Of course we are keeping them *just in case.  Never say never.  And at the end of the day, it's not a big deal if they keep em or not.  Choose your battles.  Whatever works best for each baby.

Packin up the paci for now

Faithful blankie-bear is being hugged a little more tightly these days (and face about chewed off...but he's adjusting well)

2. Finding similarities between different objects:
He has a stroller toy with a lion's face and, when you press the big red lion nose, it lights up and plays music.  When we were reading a book with a similar-looking lion, he touched the nose of the lion...twice!  Unfortunately the lion in the book did not entertain in the same way as his stroller toy.

He also has two different airplane toys - one with an actual front propeller, the other without.  He keeps trying to make the one without the propeller "spin."  :)

3. Mimicking:
He likes to shake his head back and forth and have you do the same.  He thinks this is a hysterical game.

4. The backwards-scoot:
No one can predict how their child will turn out.  I have been working with William for quite some time now on crawling.  He is starting to trust me more and will let me catch him from sitting up while he falls forward.  But I had no idea when I put him down for tummy time he would prefer moving backwards.  He scooted off the carpet towards the tv armoire and days later was scooting down the adjacent hallway, leaving a drool trail.
He cries when he is done because he is not sure how to get himself out of the corner.

Click here for backwards scoot

5. Discovering his surroundings more:
Case in point

6. Sort of dropping the late-day catnap:
Key phrase here is "sort of."  I am trying to get creative with ways to keep him happy and occupied as I cook dinner in the late afternoon when he used to be taking a nap.  Now it seems he wants an even earlier bedtime (earlier than 7, y'all... I really want him to have some time with his daddy).  Sometimes I carry him and we snuggle in his new ergo carrier (i'm in love).  Sometimes I have to get creative in other ways.

Bouncer + carrot time.  This is after booster seat + graham cracker time.

"Doin work", as my bro says, on the carrot

"Love my carrots mama!"

He also loves the SPOON!  I had no idea toys were so much more fun for him if he had a spoon in one hand.

Once you give him a spoon, his toys become a drumset

Making music and making me smile instead of me making dinner :)