Recently, I took the kids to visit a close friend and her newborn son. Because I'd been tied up in my first year teaching and she was absorbed in pregnancy/new motherhood, we hadn't seen each other in several months. When my youngest--a sturdy little dude of five--stepped through the door, my friend remarked, 'My, what a big boy he's become.' Her remark highlighted my own silent, sad observation. My youngest, who just five years ago was a drooling, diaper-wearing carpet monster, has no baby left in him.
In all my kids, the hallmark of the transition from little to big kid is not the typical mile marker of diapers to underwear, or the abandonment of the crib. Rather, the evidence of big kid is in the elbow--really, in the disappearance of their elbow dimples. Those adorable little depressions just above the elbow were the most lasting signature of baby on my kiddos--well after the diapers were (thankfully) retired, the roundness of the cheeks thinned out, and the sippy cups disappeared, those little dimples persisted. I loved pushing my finger into the little indentation and feeling the baby chubbiness push back. What I had noticed months earlier on my little guy was verbalized by my friend--all sign of baby is erased from my son's now long, summer-browned, big boy arms.
I am not a baby person--I didn't cry when they lost their first tooth or when they turned one. I enjoy holding a friend's baby, but I love that my kids have grown up into kids. I feel as though I am parenting more now, and babysitting less. Still, the loss of my last baby's elbow dimple gave me pause.
They really do grow up so fast.
In all my kids, the hallmark of the transition from little to big kid is not the typical mile marker of diapers to underwear, or the abandonment of the crib. Rather, the evidence of big kid is in the elbow--really, in the disappearance of their elbow dimples. Those adorable little depressions just above the elbow were the most lasting signature of baby on my kiddos--well after the diapers were (thankfully) retired, the roundness of the cheeks thinned out, and the sippy cups disappeared, those little dimples persisted. I loved pushing my finger into the little indentation and feeling the baby chubbiness push back. What I had noticed months earlier on my little guy was verbalized by my friend--all sign of baby is erased from my son's now long, summer-browned, big boy arms.
I am not a baby person--I didn't cry when they lost their first tooth or when they turned one. I enjoy holding a friend's baby, but I love that my kids have grown up into kids. I feel as though I am parenting more now, and babysitting less. Still, the loss of my last baby's elbow dimple gave me pause.
They really do grow up so fast.
Lisa 'mommy' C
1 comment:
I love my wonderful wife. Honey, that was my favorite blog. You're my monster!! I too have felt a little sadness in watching my youngest baby become a big, little boy. It doesn't seem all that long ago that he was wearing his footie pajamas during Christmas time spewing out a few grunts which could only be deciphered by mom and dad. Now he's pronouncing words and phrases as ridiculous and totally awesome with only a slight lisp. I love my babies.
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