He's not a baby anymore... ***SIGH****

It has been coming to me for a long time that Zack is just no longer a baby. It didn't hit me hard even when Benjamin was born. He was only nineteen months old and obviously still a baby. There were just two "babies" in the family. I still refer to Eric and Mark as "the big boys" and Zack and Ben as "the babies." This has evolved from the bigger boys being "the boys" and Zachary being "the baby". Forever I used the excuse that Zachary was too good at being the baby in the family and used to that status so who was I to push him out of that just because we had another little bitty one. But now, I see him moving on. It started to hit me when I realized he will be two very soon. When the other guys were two they were big boys by golly!! But Zack was still my baby. He's starting to talk more and others are starting to understand him, and while it is late (possibly another factor in my denial at him getting bigger) it is so much fun! And now, with his second birthday imminent (two weeks from today) he is spending his very first night in a big boy bed. Now, I've put him back in bed three times since beginning this entry, but now he's sleeping and when I put him in there and said "Zack's bed, night night sweetie." He had the biggest smile on his face. I love it!

I put this bed transition on hold for so long because ... I don't know. I didn't want to go through the transition, I was worried he wasn't ready. But he has been climbing out of the crib on rare occasions for a while now and after our recent trip to Oklahoma he was getting out every morning. Even then I was hesitant but this afternoon I went to check on him in Eric's room and he was quite happily laying in the bottom bunk. It was almost nap time so I put the blanket on him and kissed him goodnight. He is just ready.

He's not a baby anymore, but he is still an awfully cute little boy!