Having a newborn around begs the question, “What happened to my other baby?”. When did he get so big? Hooper has never felt heavier to hold. He helps me get him dressed. He follows commands. He’s a… kid. And it happened so fast, just like everyone said it would.

Today, Hooper has numerous words in his arsenal. He cannot, however, put them together in a sentence. Understanding him means understanding another language: Toddler language; Part whine, part cry, part pointing, part gibber jabber. Hooper has become his own little person, with wants and desires. Again, where did my baby go?

I was aware of how fast time was moving before Van was born. I guess what was more shocking was how much Hooper had changed in that time. I look at Van and can barely remember when Hooper was so helpless and dependent… When he was more glow-worm than human… More bobble head than hard headed… More fragile than hardy.

If I could plead with time, I would. I’d beg it to slow. But, again, motherhood is about moments in time and there is no remedy other than to soak up these moments. So while I struggle to understand toddler language, I’m reminded that tomorrow it will be teenage language and suddenly deciphering the whines and cries and gibber jabber seems like child’s play. Oh you little tantrum throwing booger, I love you.