Not So Little Boy

Most of the time I manage to fool myself into believing that time doesn't fly by. I convince myself that the summer isn't ending, that my cat will live forever and that my kids aren't growing like weeds. Sometimes reality just kicks me in the shins though.

My mom and stepdad have disassembled the crib that has been in the spare room (AKA Wesley and Ryan's room) for nearly five years now. Mom told me they were taking it down because Ryan doesn't really use it any more and can climb out of it and that made perfect sense to me. I didn't expect to have any feelings about it one way or another. Of course, that was before I opened the door to the spare room yesterday and it hit me that my baby really is growing up and there aren't going to be any more W. babies from this branch of the family. And it's not that we want (or could even have) more kids, it's more that Father Time gave me a little wake up call.

I know my mom was feeling it too. She called me at work to see if there was any reason she should keep the mobile or crib bumper. When I told her no, I could tell that it kind of bothered her. Logically, she knew that there will almost certainly be no more grandchildren, but it was kind of hard to really let it sink in.

And then it occurred to me, I'm going through this about the loss of a crib at someone else's house (ours converted into a toddler bed), what about my friends who have kids in high school? Kids who will be driving soon? How must they be feeling these days. Every one says that the time with your kids goes so fast. That can be hard to remember when you are reading the same book for the 15th time in a day, or you are listening to an alphabet animal song again.  Turns out that "every one" is right though.

Good grief. Imagine how sentimental I'm going to get when we finally get to give up diapers!