Bowman West

Not a Baby

I know this. I know he's not a baby anymore. I just still find it hard to believe that he's already a year and a half old. What happened?? It just goes way too fast. Today Charlie started back to Sonshine Preschool. He's in the toddler class now. As I placed his backpack on his hook, stuffed his lunch in his little cubby and handed over the obligatory package of diapers to his teacher, I couldn't help but look longingly across the hall to the nursery and the familiar faces inside. Those are the women who loved my baby, who rocked him since he was four months old, who taught him to wiggle his fingers to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Now he's too old for that place. They have new babies to rock and sing to. Now Charlie will sleep on his new nap mat instead of in a crib. He'll get to play outside on the playground instead of riding around in the bye-bye buggy. He'll walk down the hall with a finger on the wall to help him stay in line instead of being carried by Ms. Lyndon or Ms. Camille or one of the other angels that took care of Baby Charlie. Why in the world am I so sentimental about this?? Maybe it was the sight of him carrying his firetruck nap mat all by himself, or maybe it was the fact that he loved his big boy class so much that he cried when I came to pick him up. I don't know. What I do know is that even though my boy has tried my patience with some outstanding toddler antics over the last few days, one of which includes hitting his grandma with his fork in a restaurant, I can't even begin to fathom my life without him. He's the most precious gift I've ever been given--fork violence and all!

Charlie's first day back at preschool. I tried to get a picture with his backpack and nap mat but he wasn't real thrilled about sitting still.

Charlie's discovered my curtains. He loves to play peek-a-boo with them. See his little shoe sticking out?

Sing it with me: "Big kid in a baby toy...". Notice the Snorks on in the background. Awesome. Now if they'd just rerun Fraggle Rock we'd be in business!