Oh, How the Years Go By...

In just over seven hours, life is going to change. JBB's first day of real, official, formally recognized education begins tomorrow. Kindergarten has arrived. Of course, it takes very little calculating to realize that I am up late. Very late. This is because I am as wide awake as if I had just drank ten Red Bulls (which I did not, by the way).

I keep procrastinating odd things like starting the dishwasher and double-checking the list of things that should be in JBB's backpack tomorrow. After all, it is a highly complex list...an extra set of clothes for his cubby, a snack and a juice box. Naturally his meticulously ironed clothes are carefully laid out for him in an attempt to avoid morning chaos. This is sort of comical in a way because there is all manner of chaos everywhere else (like my closet or the toys on the floor or the haphazard placement of recently refrigerated items). My natural state of existence is one of entropy, but I do carve out pockets of perfect order from time to time. Even the camera is charged and ready to go.

Mostly though I just keep meandering around the house looking at pictures of newborn JBB and 3 month old JBB and 2 year old JBB...well, you know. I remember things like being put on bed rest for preterm labor and FREAKING OUT about it. Mommy and Daddy Lipstick raced here, went to Target, and bought all the baby stuff. I still have all those little shirts from the newborn days.

He had tons of fuzzy little hair. It would tickle my nose when I would snuggle with him, which by the way was all the time. People (eyeroll) used to say, "you're holdin' that baby too much." I just smiled sweetly because I'm Southern and that's how I was brought up. In my mind though I was thinking, "well, **** you." My hormones were raging, you know, just a tiny bit. I held him for hours on end. It was wonderful, precious...absolutely some of the best times of my entire existence.

Tomorrow begins something new. I had a friend once whose son was in his mid-twenties when JBB was just months old. She adored her son in the way that I adore JBB. I asked her what her favorite stage of childhood was. Her answer is one of the wisest comments I have ever heard, "Honey, my favorite stage has always been whatever stage he has been at the time." I guess as of tomorrow my new favorite will be kindergarten.