Recently I've been looking back at old videos of Benedict. Man that kid was fat. What also strikes me is that knowing him today, I can totally see him and his personality in these videos. He shows the same curiosity, cheerfulness, and desire to be around people as he displays in his actions today. I'm so glad that we've captured many of those moments so that he'll have them to enjoy later in life.

Each day with Benedict is highly structured and fairly predictable. We do the same sorts of things, in the same order, at generally the same time. Yet, being able to be a witness to him growing right before me is such a gift. Showing him the world, teaching him new words and concepts, and sharing experiences is a blast. Not to mention so many things he does are just so cute!

Days tend to fly by, and each one, once gone, can't come back. It's this fact that should inspire us, as parents, to take full advantage of every moment we have with our kids. We may have other things we want to be doing, or even things we should be doing. We may be tempted to put them to bed early or find other ways to get some more alone time. Instead of finding ways to make more time for ourselves, let's just enjoy the time we have together.

I know that Benedict won't be this little forever, but while he is, I'll enjoy getting down to his level and seeing the look of glee on his face as he runs to give me a hug.

Tags: Parenting