Jayson's Birthday Part One

One of the greatest joys of parenthood is the privelage of watching your children grow, learn and develop their own unique personalities and traits. In about 12 hours Jayson will officially be two years old. Two years from the very moment he came into this world, and time seems to have gone by so fast. I still remember sitting next to his incubator at the hospital, counting the days until we would be allowed to hold him - and later on counting the days until he would be able to finally come home with us. Jayson was stubborn from the very day he was born, something he's never grown out of. He's also kept his silly sense of humor (apparent by his continues insistance to wear a cupcake shaped hat everywhere for the last week) and his bright blue eyes. But there's no doubt he's growing up more quickly than I anticipated. It was clear tonight when he quickly ran over to help his fallen cousin up, and continued to do so even after she made a game of falling down and calling to him for help. He was such a little gentleman.

His birthday always makes me reflect because it's another year gone by before I can even properly document all of his milestones in my scrapbook. I remember his first steps like they were yesterday, just a few days before his 1st birthday he teetered across the living room floor on his very own. Now he runs through the living room, jumping over the coffee table, onto the couch, doing somersaults (a skill I was shocked to find out he somehow taught himself) and jumping through the air. Yet beneath all the rough and tumble of a two year old boy I can still catch glimpes of the sweet, quiet baby he once was - the times when he wraps his tiny arms around my neck and says "I love you too, Mama", or when he surprises me by running by, grabbing my face in between his hands and giving me a big kiss for no reason at all.

Well, I suppose time will always run at this speed - slowly when we are anxious for something, but two quickly when we forget to pay attention. In the meantime, I'll do my best to enjoy every moment of this year, because soon enough he will be graduating from toddler to child and I'll probably sit up late one night wondering where all those precious toddler years slipped away to...