On Watching My Children Grow

I looked at my newborn and knew he would grow up way too fast. He's five months now and scooting backwards and laughing with his brother. We started cereal yesterday and he loved it; he grunted for more. He tilts his head to the side and smiles--we have no idea where this little quirk came from. He is sitting up in a tripod position and has been bouncing on our legs for weeks now. He doesn't want to sit still and is so precious when he sleeps. But when he is awake he is so adorable and so much fun.

I can't believe my five year old is reading everything he sets his sights on. He sounds out words and sometimes sounds out the beginning and uses context clues to figure it all out. A year ago we were struggling to get him interested, struggling to listen to his staccato reading of sentences as if he was plucking the strings of a violin. Watching him read with more fluidity and even having him ask if we were going to New York as we drive into Baltimore and he reads the signs is a different kind of fun. And a relief that he's gotten it and the struggle with reading is over. He isn't as adorable anymore and the constant craving for answers get to be annoying. Even still watching him grow and think is a wonder all its own.

I try to breathe in the good moments with them and hold them close because the joy of watching them grow is the beautiful part of them growing too fast for my heart to stand.