baby toes

My son's birthday is about a month away and he seems determined to not turn four! He tells me that he wants to stay three - or sometimes he even wants to be 1 or 2 again. He looked up at a photo in my home the other day and asked his grandma how old he was in it. When she replied, "1 year old," he said, "I want to be that old!" He did this last year, too, as he was about to turn 3. I have to admit that there are times I miss little baby toes and little baby fingers to kiss and cuddle. My sister recently mentioned how she wants to pick up every baby she sees. I know the feeling! I really love Marek at this age, but there's something to be said for that precious time when children are so tiny.

I still remember vividly being pushed along in the hospital wheelchair, in the middle of the night after giving birth to Marek. I'm holding my tightly swaddled newborn gently and protectively on my lap as a nurse pushes me along. We were on our way from the birthing room to my new room post-delivery. The nurse said, "Oh I just love that smell of a newborn. They only smell that way just after they're born - it's such a sweet baby smell!" And she was right. You never forget that smell or that moment, ever. There are only a few moments in life that I'd like to wrap myself around and bottle them up forever to experience over and over again. That is one of them.