Five More Days

In five days Liam will be five years old.

It's hard to believe that five years ago I was sitting in a different house, on different furniture, going to bed each night in a different bed and wondering if those pseudo-contractions I was having were ever going to turn into the real thing. So much has happened in five years and yet it also feels like it's flown past.

I don't know why it sticks in my mind in this way but five marks the end of the toddler years to me. Five is the age when he starts school. It's when he gives up having his parents be his whole world and begins to experience the wider world in a more independent way. Instead of needing us to care for his physical needs so intensely, he'll need us in different, more intangible ways.

In short, he's growing up.

I remember looking at him when he was a baby and wondering who he was going to be. Over the last five years he's proven to be funny, smart, loving, crazy, and obsessed with all things Star Wars. I love watching his personality shine through. I love watching the person he's becoming.

The next year promises to be full of a lot of big firsts - the biggest of which is starting kindergarten. He's been talking about it for months now and I'm sure that when the big day finally arrives he's going to be giddy with excitement. He can't wait to ride the bus to school with the big kids!

I'll be that Mom watching him go with love and pride.