A beautiful moment

Last week I was changing Jack's diaper and I started singing the ABC's in an attempt to keep him from wiggling away from me.  A, B.... then a little voice piped in C, D.  And that little voice wasn't Colin's.  It was Jack's. 

And he was beaming. 

Literally grinning from ear to ear. Almost like he was waiting and waiting for me to realize that he knew that song. 

That he could sing along. 

With Colin, I'm sure I was drilling him on his ABC's, colors, numbers, and animal sounds from three months on.  With Jack? Well, he's the baby.  Colin points it out all the time:  "Jack is still little.  He's not big yet.  I'm big.  See how tall I am?" And frankly, I'm ok with doing my best to keep him little (in spirit, not size - as we all know... Jack's a tank). 

I think, subconsciously, I still think of Jack like this....

Or like this...because it makes me giggle.

Maybe in the same way that when someone asks how old I am I still start with "twwe...." even though my 20's are long gone. We all do this.  Looking ahead to what's next, or clinging to the past.  I'm guilty of both.  I remember with Colin I'd track his milestones, reading ahead in my baby book to see what was coming up next.  I couldn't wait for him to crawl, walk, run, talk, talk in sentences, and so on.  With Jack, I cried when he outgrew newborn diapers (at one week old), and struggled to keep him in three month clothes much longer than his chubby legs would allow. I held him in my arms before bed, with a bottle, months past his first Birthday.

I look ahead, yet want to freeze time, all in the same moment.  I struggle with this daily. 

I recently re-read something a friend wrote, and it brought tears to my eyes.  For so many reasons.  

There is no more beautiful moment than the moment that you are currently in.

It's perfectly said, and I need to remind myself of these words every day, every hour...and as we know as parents, every moment (good, bad, hysterical, exhausting, rewarding, and everything in between).