Saying Goodbye To The Baby Chapter

As 2015 comes to a close, I can't help but want to dig in my heels and stop it from happening. You see, a lot more than the year is coming to a close; so is the baby-toddler chapter for my son. With his fourth birthday a few weeks away, he's turning a major corner. He will no longer be a toddler. (Insert gasps, tears and a pity party)

 It feels like just yesterday, he was a ball of baby fat and coos. 

I see it happening before my eyes. His fat cheeks are thinning out. His chubby legs are now long sticks, that end at huge feet. His sweet little baby hands are growing into big boy hands. His personality and vocabulary have exploded.

Seeing my little guy grow up is so incredibly bittersweet. I love the baby years. Even the wild defiant toddler years. But I also love how with each passing day he becomes this brilliant little human full of life, ideas and stories to tell. I love how funny he is. How he says exactly what's on his mind. How he gets so excited when he runs fast or climbs a wall. How he can stay up later without a meltdown, meaning we can go more places as a family, without having to leave by 6pm or risk a mental meltdown.

I expect next year to be full of a new experiences and challenges for both of us. He will run faster, climb higher and push for more independence, and I will have no choice but to standby and watch it happen. In fact, not only do I have to let him grow up, as a parent, it's my job to encourage and guide him.

But what I can do is slow down, so I can genuinely experience and love every single second while it happens.

As the year comes to a close, and soon a major chapter for my son, I'm doing my best to slow down and prioritize my life to include more quality time with the little guy. I want nothing more than to spend as much time as possible playing with and marveling at the beautiful toddler he is today.

Because until he turns four, he is still my little terror toddler. And I intend to love every last second of it.