Firsts and Lasts

The Man put up a swing for little man a couple weeks ago. His mama asked us if we could do this since they don't have a good tree in their yard to hang a swing from. And she always loved the swing that Grandma and Grandpa had up when she was little.

Secretly, I think she wanted little man to have a swing at HIS grandma and grandpa's house. We were very happy to oblige.

His first time in the swing.

He was having a blast swinging around. You can feel the joy in his smile. I smile just looking at him and his happy little face.

That hair though.

I can't even.

And those feet sticking straight out.

My favorite photo.

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So we got to babysit the little man tonight. His mama and daddy needed to do some landscaping and asked if we could watch him for a while.

I was there in 36 seconds.

When we got home, we played with all his toys. We put pompoms into a plastic bottle and took them out. Fifteen times. We had meatloaf and carrots courtesy of Grandpa.

And then we sat on the back porch.

He loves sitting out there. He watches all the traffic go by. He waves to the cars. He points at them as they come up the road. He listens for the tweet-tweets (also known as birds) and is obsessed with two ceramic ducks I have out in the yard. 

It's a very happening place.

Tonight we sat out for quite a while and then came in to have a snack. Raisinets and milk. Snack of champions. Don't tell his mama. He got tired and started rubbing his eyes so I took him back out on the porch. We sat in the chair with the best view and I started singing to him.

This Little Light of Mine. And Moon, Moon, Moon. His two favorites.

He watched the ducks for a while, pointing and squawking that he wanted me to bring him over to them. I just continued to sing and his eyes got heavier and heavier. His head started to bob and before I could say "Goodnight, little love," his head was on my chest and he was sound asleep.

I kept singing softly, alternating between the two songs. We sat like that for a long time, me and my grandson. I was listening to the lawn mowers and the birds and the small planes flying over. Watching the bees buzz around. Looking at the pretty spring flowers blossoming right now.

For this moment in time, life felt normal again. And pretty darn good.

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I read something several months ago about the last time you do something for your children and you don't even know it's the last time. The last story you read to them. The last song you sing with them. The last bottle you make for them. And the last time you burp them. The last diaper you change and the last bath you give them.

One day it's all over, that doing of things for them and suddenly they do things for themselves. 

As I sat with little man tonight, singing to him while he was asleep in my arms, I remembered that piece I read and realized it may be the last time I do this with him. It may not be, but maybe so. 

I hugged him a little tighter, kissed his soft, sweet head, and cried a bit.