In the blink of an eye

Bean is at the stage where he really wants to sit still and do activities like coloring, reading and methodically disassembling toys.  He’s also at that stage where he’s all “oh, hell no” to his booster chair.  Our little man is a loving, sweet child who also happens to be stubbornly independent, willful and ornery.  So, yeah, he’s perfect.  :)

We have been talking about getting him a little table and chair set so that he could sit and play, eat at his own table and just enjoy someplace that’s his own.  We did a bunch of research and we settled on the Carolina set from Pottery Barn Kids.  I wasn’t a fan of the price tag ($220) but every other set we could find was cheap plastic (and $70) or really flimsy wood (and $125).  I know my son.  Within 15 minutes, he was standing on the table, jumping off the chairs and beating it with his light saber (all of which he got corrected for but, again, he’s stubborn and ornery, so it’ll happen again).  The hubs and I both agreed that we needed to spend a little bit more money to get a set that was sturdy, could take the abuse a going-on-two-year-old can dispense and something that hopefully will last through a couple kids (and maybe even a couple grandkids).  We’re really happy with our purchase.  It’s a solid table, looks great and crayons wipe off the surface with a wet napkin.  (This isn’t a paid endorsement – we just love the table).

Here’s the set.  We pulled it out of the box and set it up while he was napping.  No, that’s not my carousel horse on the left side of the photo.  :)  We are staying with my Mom until the big move happens.  But I love the carousel horses – they were part of my grandmothers collection and my Mom got them when she passed away in 2000.

We chose the white table because all of the stained wood tone tables we saw had some scuffs and scratches here and there.  If this were a piece of furniture for our home (other than toddler furniture), we would have gone stained wood.  But I wanted something that, if he does get through the finish, won’t look so damaged immediately.  Plus I can always pop off a leg, take it in and get a pint of paint color matched to redo the top if I have to.



When Bean ran out and saw the table, he yelled “OH MAN!” as loud as possible, ran over to it and danced for about 15 seconds.  He was CRAZY excited.  He couldn’t figure out the chair immediately, so Daddy helped him up the first time.



The picture above is where it started.  I took it and thought about how little he is.  The little knees inside those jeans aren’t even half way to the edge of the seat when he’s sitting at the back of the chair.  And then I remembered that there was a time when he was the length of my forearm and fit into a shoe box.  And I was overcome with a feeling of sadness temporarily.



And then this happened.  And my heart melted.  I love the phase Bean is in now; he’s so interactive, he loves learning new things and he loves talking all day long.  And he loves his Daddy (and so do I).  There is NOTHING that makes me happier than seeing them together and seeing the unbreakable bond that they have as father and son.  These two human beings are the entire world to me.  Bean’s favorite word right now is “help”.  He kept asking his Daddy to help him color.



But then I took this picture and I was instantly sad again.  When did that hand get big enough to hold two – TWO – crayons?  He’s already grown and doesn’t need me anymore.  My life is over.



But then he got down off of his chair and asked for “help” to get back up.  And suddenly my life was validated again – he NEEDS me!  He needs me!  Look at those little feet dangling – no way he can reach the car pedals yet.



And then – just like a big boy – he got down, pushed his chair in and said, “let’s go bye-bye”.  And it hit me: he’s a step away from college.  And then the presidency.  And then AARP called and offered my my membership.  Okay, not really.  But they might as well have.

It seems like he’s gone from a newborn to this little person in the blink of an eye.  And I’m all too aware that it’s not going to slow down any time soon.  In another blink of the eye, he really will be growing up, going to school, playing sports, going to dances, dating (lord help me), driving, graduating, going to college, getting married, having kids, having grandkids.

…I need a drink.

Feelingolderandmoreunneededbythesecond,

Ry