He is growing up too fast...

My son was still a little peanut. Very small. But he was gaining weight which was good. Even though he was still tiny, he was growing up so fast. Everyone told me to cherich these moments because they go by so quickly. I just didn't know I would be so sad about it.

One day I realized that I had to get a new supply of clothes the next size up stocked in his dresser. I went through all of his things that were too small and washed them and stored them in bins. I was beside myself. Each little outfit made me remember something about him. This was his going home outfit when I brought him home from the hospital. This was his first Thanksgiving Day outfit. This is what he wore on his first Christmas. And with each little outfit packed away, a little piece of his childhood was packed away. And some of the things were just so darn cute that I hated the fact that he would never be able to wear them again. I hoped that the next switch of clothing wouldn't be this hard.

His bouncer had been a godsend. He loved being in it and it allowed me to take him with me everywhere in the house. I would put him in his bouncer on the bathroom floor while I showered and got ready in the mornings. He sat in his bouncer on the kitchen floor while I did dishes or got dinner ready. One day I had him in his bouncer in the living room floor while I was doing something in the other room. I checked on him frequently and he was fine. The next time I checked on him, the chair had tipped forward and he was face down on the floor, still strapped in his bouncer. I freaked out. I ran to him and was flooded with guilt. What a bad mother I was. How could I leave him alone in a room, even for five minutes? He was fine. No injuries and he didn't even seem to be phased. After I calmed down, I tried to figure out what happened. Later that day, I put him back in the chair and watched him. Nothing happened. Ok, so it was a fluke. I continued to use the chair under supervision and one day I saw it. He had started to sit up on his own and roll over. It looked like he was trying to do it while sitting in the chair. The momentum from his gymnastics was so great that it tipped the chair. I couldn't believe it. He was barely five months old and he had already outgrown his favorite bouncy chair. I couldn't use it anymore. He was no longer safe in it. I took off the cover and washed it. When I put the bouncer away, never to be used again, I cried. It was silly but I felt like he would be leaving for college tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, growing up is good and I was happy. But it was bittersweet all the same.