to remember

Everyone told me how quickly the newborn phase goes.  I didn't quite believe them when Oliver was tiny; each day was so long, when he was about two weeks old I thought this is the rest of my life.  Then I blinked and now he's ten months old, turning from a baby into a toddler every day.  I see someone with a newborn and I want to stop them and tell them it doesn't last.  Why is it we can't learn anything until it happens to us?

I daydream about having another baby, and what it would be like to relive those newborn times. Then I remind myself to enjoy this wriggly little baby now, because ten months is still so small, and he is still so easy to love and carry around.  One day he'll be even bigger, and I'll want to come back to those days of constant diaper changes, wiping down high chairs, and holding his hands while he runs to the door.

So these are the things I want to remember about right now:

How Oliver grows shy in front of strangers and doesn't always wave or clap, but when his dad is around, he waves every single time Sam asks.

Hos Oliver races straight for the front door every chance he gets.  He knows exactly where he wants to go (the hose in the front yard) and if you try to redirect him to go another way, he twists around and plants his feet firmly on the ground, refusing to budge. If you manage to drag him along, he'll flop over onto the floor so he/s sitting down, perfectly situated to scoot around back to the direction he wants to go.

How he giggles and squats and loves to walk along things - his crib, the railings at the top of the stairs, the couch.  One day he'll learn how to walk on his own and his independence is going to blow his mind.

How he lunges for my glass every time I drink in front of him, and loves to share my water.  If it's mine, it's his.  I love how his tiny, chubby hands grasp the cup and he does his best to gulp it down.

How he is so fascinated by our faces, and loves to grab my nose or poke my eye.  He thinks it's hilarious when I pretend to eat his fingers, so he always looks at me expectantly when he offers me his hand.

How Oliver loves to carry around his own spoon.  He always wants whatever utensils we're using to eat, so I started offering him one of his own to hold.  He will clutch it in his hand and carry it around for hours, from room to room, to his car seat to his crib.

How interested he is in exploring every single thing, from that tiny piece of lint on the carpet to the door that takes him outside to the twigs lying on the grass.  He loves yanking on the chain that turns the light in his bedroom closet on and off, and always laughs uproariously when he succeeds.

I know there's more, and I could be writing lists all day long, but nap time is precious so that's all I have time for today.