Happy Birthday, Clayton!

Though the party was last evening, bubby's big birthday #2 is actually today. He's still on overload from all the excitement (and sugar) from yesterday. We actually got a bit of sun just in time for the party, but today it has been rainy, dark, and cold--a crummy reminder that winter is just around the corner.

As of 1:43 a.m. two years ago this day, parenthood became official. Any parent I've talked to can attest to how quickly the time goes by. It actually sunk in with me two days ago when a friend came over with her daughter. Clayton and Nora were best friends but hadn't seen each other for the last four months. When Nora stood directly in front of him, looked up at me and said, "What's his name?" I about cried. She didn't seem to remember how they used to greet each other with kisses and tear off running through the house holding hands. She's just 6 and a half months older than Clayton, but it seemed like she had skipped toddlerdom over the summer and proceeded staight to big-kidhood.

But then it got worse when we took the kids with us to the grocery store on Friday. They seemed to reunite, laughing and shrieking random kid phrases, but when we were leaving the grocery, it really did hit me that these days won't last. Someday, Meg and I will be reminiscing about "the good old days" of when we did random errands with our babies and talking about all the little adventures that went along with them, just like we currently reminisce about other days gone by. People always told me to cherish every minute Clayton is a baby because it won't last. I always took that advice as, "Well, duh. Of course it won't last." So I don't know if I'm having an emotional moment or what, but it is really making me sad to think that someday this little boy will no longer exist. He will always have a solid foundation of family who loves him, morals to live by, support to succeed, and guidance to be a good man, but he will never again be this little blonde 2'10 boy running through the house with the tag of his blankie, shouting, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Oh my gosh. I am crying so hard now I can barely see. As I sit here in my office watching him in daddy's arms with his two fingers jammed in his mouth and his blankie tucked tightly around him, I just want to stop time and make these moments last longer than they inevitably will.