Forever Young

I took this picture yesterday. It’s out of focus and the angle is off. But looking at it calls to my mind all the feelings.

Yesterday was a tough day. There wasn’t much “wonderful” to be found. Baby Beej is now 9, nearly 10, months old. While he has turned teething into a major event- please note that he has exactly 1 (count it- ONE) tooth, he decided to walk this week. He can only make a few steps before he either sinks down to his hands and knees or stands frozen with his arms raised catching his balance. It’s tiring work for a baby, soon to be an early toddler. Teething is kicking his butt- he’s drooling buckets and swatting at his ears as if there are gnats fluttering inside. And he’s sworn off food. The only thing overshadowing his teething event is the incredible awful food experience he hosts at each meal. It begins with him letting out piercing screams, raising his fists in the air and flinging his head back to thump resoundingly against the wooden high chair. If we dare to sneak a spoonful in during these fits, he has taken great pleasure in spitting it out. If he even sees the spoon being lifted, he has mastered the skill of knocking the spoon so the food splatters everywhere.

So, yesterday it was just him and me. Daddy was at work. Mommy had a meeting. While I find I have more patience with him than I had with his father as a baby, I found myself at my wit’s end. Finally, I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled up my Grey’s Anatomy playlist on my phone, picked up his solid 22 lbs of pure baby boy and got my baby bounce going. We stood by the kitchen window, listening to our favorite songs from GA and staring out the window watching the leaves flutter in the breeze and the sunlight reflect off the cars as they drove by, keeping time with the music.

As we let the music wash over us, I felt his body relax and before long that 22 lbs felt like 50! I felt the smoothness of his chubby thigh (along with some dried sweet potatoes that I missed during clean up). His soft, silky curls, which alternate between small curls, loose locks and straight depending on the day, tickled my chin. And his little fingers clutched the sleeve of my shirt, as they always do when I hold him.

I stood there a little longer than necessary, just savoring it all. He’s walking now and I know that these moments will become fleeting. This song came to mind because having three grown children, I know how quickly time flies and I realize the importance of holding onto that feeling. Bob Dylan wrote this song, Forever Young,for his children over 40 years ago. The lyrics stand the test of time and hold up today to be as true as the day they were written.

This post is a contribution to- Be Wonderful on Wednesday hosted by Ronovan Writes, Writer’s Quote Wednesday hosted by Silver Threading and Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sense of Touch hosted by Cee’s Photography. Thanks to Ron, Colleen and Cee for hosting these great challenges! Be sure to check out their blogs along with all the interesting challenge participants!