Let Me Hold You Longer

Long ago you came to me,

a miracle of firsts:

First smiles and teeth and baby steps,

a sunbeam on the burst.

But one day you will move away

and leave to me your past,

And I will be left thinking of

a lifetime of your lasts...

There was a book sale in the cafeteria at work yesterday and my friend Glenda and I were browsing. We came across this book called Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury and Glenda's face lit up. She plans to slip it in with her son's belongings when he leaves for college next year. So I picked it up and began to skim it and sure enough, I was blinking back the tears! It's true that we tend to get very caught up in our children's firsts but not so much their lasts...those just tend to slip by. This book is beautifully illustrated and chronicles the growing up of a mom's little boy into manhood. It's true that I have been completely enthralled with MVP's firsts and after reading this book I can better understand why the current transition from co-sleeping to her crib has been kind of tough for me...it's the end of a little era! MVP is not quite crawling yet and I hold her pretty much all the time. And you know what? I don't give a hoot! She will crawl soon, and then walk for the rest of her life. I am going to cherish these dwindling days of her itty-bitty babyhood. This seems silly, I know. Unless you're a mommy. Anyway, after lunch was over Glenda came up and handed me the book. Thank you Glenda!