The Miscellaneous Lifestyle: My baby is not so much a baby anymore

My Cole is five today. It boggles my mind that this child is already five years old. You hear the tired old cliches about blinking and they're an adult already and it's starting to seem like there may be some merit to them.

It's hard to believe that this tiny little six pound baby has added 30 additional pounds and a whole lot more height.

This whole parenting journey has been very bittersweet for me. Cole and I, we have our ups and downs. He drives me bonkers at times. He can do some seriously obnoxious things, he doesn't listen all of the time, and sometimes -- he can do things that are borderline dangerous (especially as it pertains to his baby brother); but overall, where it counts, he's a fantastic child.

He's smart. He's full of life. He lives to learn, touch, explore, and make sense of the world around him. He is turning into an inquisitive, opinionated, confident little person. He has feelings and thoughts, complex ones. He has learned how to express those feelings and ideas. He's moved mountains.

I have to remember to reward the good behaviors, the good attitudes. I'm not there yet. I recognize how much effort it is for him to go from stomping, yelling, or crying when he's unhappy to taking a deep breath, talking in a good voice, and expressing himself -- even if the words he uses to express himself aren't top notch -- they're effort and in the right direction. Cole is constantly working to improve himself -- I owe him the same.

He still makes me smile daily. He still hugs me daily. He still makes me feel warm inside and squishy. We have a good time. We talk. We read. We cook together. We race each other to the car. We do menial tasks together such as the dishes or the mail retrieval.

Somewhere in the mix of all of this -- my six pound baby who was 100% dependent on me for his life has turned into a very independent man-child. It has been challenging for both of us. It has been fun for both of us.

My sweet boy has given my life extra meaning. My sweet boy has directed my future career. My sweet boy has affected me all throughout my life in the last six years.