Stupendous Six

I know, I know - you've heard it at least a million times.  I've probably mentioned it at least 1,000 times already - you just cannot believe how fast a child grows.  My baby who was born one week before Christmas Eve six years ago, is now practically a miniature man.  I remember the absolute crippling fear I felt having him home with us after the help from the nurses in the hospital.  I've told people about 100 times lately that I wish I could go back and start having babies all over again knowing what I know now.  Three babies is enough for me so I don't want to have more babies, I want to turn back time but keep the knowledge I have now.  I'm certain that I would have been at least a little better mother to my little babies if I'd realized that the sleepless nights, angst-inducing screaming, and nap and culinary restriction-based schedule is over in the blink of an eye.  Now my little Christmas baby who I absolutely adored and fell madly in love with despite my fear of being a first time mother, has grown into this bony, sinewy, angular-faced (at least compared to the round baby face he used to have) school-ager.  He's reading books to me, instead of the other way around.  He laughingly asked me tonight if I thought it was a neat idea that if you had a $5 gift card and you went to the store and bought something for $5, you could just cruise through the line and not have to hand the cashier any money.  He came home with his hockey photo tonight and I've been sitting quietly for a few minutes studying all these sweet, young faces, trying to imagine what these mini-mites will look like when they're all grown up.  Considering how quickly six years has flown by, it's not that much of a stretch to be picturing these little men and woman all grown up - it's going to happen in the blink of an eye.