Calvin and I meet for the first time.
The end of January is a popular time for birthdays in my family. My birthday is January 23, and my nephew, Calvin, was born on January 27 last year. That’s right, my baby nephew turns one today.
Watching Calvin grow and learn and change this past year really got me thinking about age and growing up in general. Every time I see him, he has changed in some way, and it makes me kind of sad inside. I don’t want him to grow up! I love him just the way he is right now.
The thing is, I say that to myself every time I see him. I wanted him to stay a tiny newborn forever so that I could always hold him close and in my arms. Then he started to smile, and I thought, “Okay, he can stay this age so that I can watch his little baby face smile forever.” Then he learned to laugh and then sit up and then babble and then crawl. And I always thought, “Wow, he just keeps getting better. But I want him to stay exactly like this, the way he is now.”