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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A Mother's Lament

So as most mothers will tell you, we all want our children to grow up healthy and happy, but few of us are prepared for just how quickly this process occurs. Of course I know he's getting taller, I observed this just the other day when looking at the 3T pants that used to drag the floor and now are hovering right around the tops of his shoes. And boy oh boy do I know how much heavier he's gotten as every evening he cuddles on my lap to read stories. I've long since given up on keeping a list of all the new things he says every day, though I really do need to keep a list of the memorable things only a three year old can conjure. But for the most part all these things happen gradually and it's not until you see the differences in stark contrast that you really see how much they change and grow in the few short years of childhood.

I saw this contrast recently while editing some pictures and I was reminded of a similar picture taken of Evan on the occasion of his first birthday party. The wall letters and the table he's on haven't moved since he was a baby. He's standing in both, with the assistance of grandma in the first picture.

At one year (minus 1 day):

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And at 3 years, ~7 months:



He's 3 ft, 2.5 inches tall, 36 lbs. of incredible. Gone are the adorable little rolls on his arms (though there's still the hint of them in his wrists), and where did those ribs come from? From just barely being able to stand with assistance, to practicing his gymnastics landing. But, like any good (read: stubborn) toddler he's still holding on to some baby traits, like being almost-but-not-quite potty trained, hovering close and ducking behind us when meeting new people, or my favorite, unsolicited hugs and kisses. And that's okay with me, he's got plenty of time to grow up. Right?

4 comments:

Heidi said...

Slow down, Evan, slow down!! Simon's only 15 months old and I already feel this way. Your blog post brought tears to my eyes.

Andie Zimmerman said...

My my how he's grown. He is such a cutie patootie!

Jennifer said...

Awww, sweet. Now you know you've got to add a third photo to this series one day...I love looking back on pictures like this that show how my kid has grown.

Glinda said...

Sniff! Hard to see them grow up, but rewarding, too. And the unsolicited "I love you, Mommy" is SO awesome. The unsolicited pouting fits are quite as awesome. ;)