"Dog Kisses and Baby Books"

Our firstborn is turning 40...and I gotta tell you - I think it bothers me a little bit more than when I turned 60.  And why is that?   It seems like the years have gone by at breakneck speed and there's not a thing we can do about it, is there?   I just wish it would slow down a bit.

Having three sons, in pretty quick succession, their early years were kind of a blur.  Oh, I remember the "big" moments.  I just wish I could remember more of the "little" ones...  more of the days...and not just the years.

When the boys were young, I had some plaques on our wall-- one for each.  The one for the firstborn said something about how he was the one who got the new parents, the new clothes...
The one for the middle child said that he was the one who got the formula-stained burp rags, and the parents' realization that dog kisses wouldn't kill him...
And  the plaque for the youngest of the family spoke of how he had broken-in parents, had a baby book that probably had more recipes stuck in it than photos and, that no matter how old he got, he would always be our "baby".

 I don't know how that all figures for bigger or smaller families, but it's pretty accurate for ours.  You love them all, but birth order, your station in life when they were born and your experience with raising kids, really does make a difference with each one, as they grow, doesn't it?

Hubby was fond of telling folks that when we took the first son to college, I cried all the way home.  With the second son, I cried only halfway home, and with our youngest, we barely stopped the car to drop him off.  That's not true, of course, but it DID get easier.  I'm not sure seeing my kids hit these age milestones ever will...

I suppose I should feel very blessed that, despite some bumps in the road and a few hiccups along the way, they DID grow up and I've been able to witness that growth.  And I'm proud of the way they've turned out.  I love them all but nowhere is it written that I have to LIKE being the parent of middle-aged kids...like I said earlier, I just wish it would slow down a bit!