Time flies...and then they're big!

It's amazing how quickly time passes and how quickly the mind can block out things.  I still think of my son as my baby boy.  Nevermind the fact that he wears underwear, dresses himself (for the most part), puts his shoes on, gets himself water, and even sets the table sometimes.  Regardless of these facts, he always seems so little to me.  Maybe it is because he is on the small side. Maybe it's because he is our "baby" - our last child.  Or maybe it's because next to our 11-year-old daughter and her friends, he seems tiny.

Whatever the reason, after this weekend, I was jolted back into reality.

This weekend, we babysat our 13-months-old godson.  To be honest, I had forgotten how much a baby poops at that age.  I had also forgotten how tied to a schedule - two naps, meals, bottles, snacks, diaper changes - a parent gets with a young child.  It didn't seem that long ago that our son was so little, but after realizing that I had to do everything for my godson and not everything for my son, I realized how grown up my son actually is - and how much he can do on his own. 

Don't get me wrong.  I absolutely LOVED babysitting my godson and would do it again in a heartbeat (he's such an agreeable, happy kid), but I am perfectly happy with two children who I can take out without packing a bag filled with stuff.  (Snacks are in the car already, and usually so is an extra set of clothes, but that's it!)

My son turns 4 years old this summer. He tells me all the time that he is "a big boy" and shows this to me through all the things he can do by himself: go potty (even though I have to remind him...a lot), dress himself (sometimes he needs help with his shirts, though), put on his shoes, and set the table for dinner.