Growing pains

There’s this picture at my desk – actually, there are a lot of pictures at my desk – but this one is my favorite.

I took it when The Baby was almost three months old. At this age I could put him in his crib and he’d watch his mobile. I was good for about 10 minutes. I could sit in the rocker and pump or read or go jump online for a few minutes. But I usually just hung out at the crib rails watching him watching his mobile.

The Baby didn’t ever lay on the floor on play mats, didn’t care much for a bouncy seat, and, at that age, he didn’t always appreciate going for a walk. This was one of the few things that caught his attention and kept him happily occupied. For a reflux baby, those calm 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there are like a chorus of angels singing. Anyway, while you can’t see the mobile, I was glad to have caught this little content moment.

I have looked at this picture one hundred times a day for almost a year and I’ve always marveled how he still looks like my baby. Just smaller. Look.. he's still in his little Swaddlers. He’s a size 5 diaper now!

Yesterday, however, something different happened. I looked down at the photograph, as I so often do, and it hit me: it doesn’t look like him anymore. He has more cheek bones and less cheeks, his hair has changed from fuzzy-infant to fine-toddler hair, his torso is longer (though not leaner), and those little legs don’t automatically curl up when he is lying down.

He’s a little boy. *sniff*