My sister came to help out over the weekend while Willy was out of town. We had a great time catching up and reminiscing and talking about the childhood Hooper and Van will experience together. We played at the park, went out to eat, and went to the local vintage market. I realized after going through the photos that there are none of Van. Trust me, he was there. That little booger is so peaceful, he rarely lets his presence known. Hooper, on the other hand, is a total ham. So yeah, rest assured, Van was snoozin’ close by.

There was a time people seemed to pass in and out of Hooper’s life. There was no carry-over, no memory of having seen or met people before. Watching Hooper’s memory develop has been a beautiful thing; it means that people that are important to me are now important to him. It means that when we talk on the phone with my in-laws, he knows not only who they are but he also knows the name of their dog. It means when he sees a burgundy car, he knows his grandma is close by (granted every burgundy car = grandma’s close by, but still). And it means that when my sister, his auntie “Kiki”, comes to visit she is sorely missed when she leaves. He not only remembers the key players in his life, but he’s come to really love them. And by love, I mean there’s lots of “hi-yees” and lots of unsolicited hugs and kisses. It makes me so happy, so proud to be his mama. Watching him discover the world, whether it’s picking up a leaf from the ground and examining it or waking up from a nap and asking for his “Kiki”, it’s all pretty special.