Big Kid

I know it's such a cliche (seems to be a theme on this blog, along with excessive use of parentheses), but where has my baby gone? It seems that all of the sudden Will is no longer a baby, but is now a "kid". A big boy. I guess this is a good thing, given that we have a new baby coming in just nine weeks, but I still can't believe how big he is. Of course, I'm sure I'll look back on these times and think, "He was so little! How could I have thought he was grown-up then? Look at him now!" Sometimes, I still see glimpses of his babyhood--like when I put him in his crib for bed each night--but for the most part, Will has moved into kid land.

It seems that he's doing new things every day. Each day he can run faster and with more skill. He's learned how to jump--really jump--with both feet off of the ground at the same time. He knows words like "aquarium" and "dinosaur". He can sing the ABC song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with pretty good accuracy on both. He now drinks from a real cup (only when he's sitting at the table) and likes to have his glass of OJ each morning with breakfast and a nice pinot with dinner (ok, I'm only kidding about that part). He no longer wants to use his tray with his booster seat--in fact, he refuses to--and instead insists on sitting at the table with a placemat. And he knows the word "placemat"!

Will's also learning how to be polite: He says "please" and "thank you". He knows to say "excuse me" if he bumps into someone or farts or burps--which he does much more often than Mama would like, but I guess that's just being a boy. (He likes to announce, "Excuse me! I burped!" and then giggle hysterically.) He says "bless you" if someone sneezes, and he's even starting to learn to cover his mouth if he coughs or sneezes. He's learning how to talk on the telephone. In short, I just can't believe that this baby--MY baby--has not only learned how to walk, talk, etc., but is also learning societal niceties and how to function as a real person.

When we were at the beach, Will slept in a room that had bunk beds in it, and he was very curious about the top bunk. To deter him, we told him that "only big kids sleep up there." Well, he became obsessed with the idea of "big kids" and what they could do. He remains slightly obsessed, and often talks about "big kids over there" or "big kids in the pool". He seems both fascinated and a bit scared by the "big kids". I hate to tell him, but he's quickly becoming one of them. Right before my eyes.