My baby.

Alex is growing up. I don't know how each day is passing so quickly.
He is about to crawl and has rashes on his elbows and knees from the carpet.
He is almost six months old.
Almost starting solid foods.
He stares at himself in the mirror and gives big, toothless grins.
I feel like I barely get dressed for the day and then it is Alex's bed time.
I want him to slow down. And yet I am looking forward to seeing him live his life.

I know these are common thoughts of a mother; it just never seemed real until I was watching my own son roll around the room.

Now Sam and I reminisce about the days when Alex would stay where we put him.
The times he would fall asleep on our chests.
I remember being so anxious to leave the house with just a purse instead of a diaper bag.
I remember walking into a room and selecting a seat based on where I could have the most discrete exit.
I remember getting dressed knowing full well that I would have to undress eight times throughout the day.

"As my children get older, I realize there are good and bad parts to each stage of our lives together. Many of the challenges pass with time. So do some of the joys. I try to take stock of the joys, to imprint them on my memory for the days when the long, sleepless nights have passed - and with them the sweet, soft smell of a baby's warm head against my neck." (Ensign)