Different Stages

Wow...what a day. I recently picked up watching a 9 month old little boy for a girlfriend who just started teaching. His name is Beau and his story is beautiful. Our friends added him to their family a couple of months ago. Beau is biracial-half black and half Puerto Rican...yes, he has amazing skin! His story is to be very special...a Christian doctor talked a young, raped, mother out of aborting him, and well...he is here today. He is now in a Christian home with a vivacious older sister and two parents who love him dearly. I get the pleasure of enjoying the 9 months+ stages all over again. I am sad to say that I really don't remember those stages with my girls. I guess with two of them, I was just trying to half-way survive all of the diapers, bottles, cries, spit-ups, ...you get the picture. Of course, I remember Caleb's, but that is no surprise since he is the first child. We all know how "the first child thing" goes. ...the first smile, the first word, the first crawl, the first walk, the list goes on and on. From picking up rocks on a snowy day, (only to later realize they were rabbit poop) to biting Jackson, over and over, and over again. Ah, let's not forget the Rotavirus, the first climb up the stairs, the first time to eat solids, the first time to suck his thumb. :) Erin will never forget the first time he poured his oatmeal over his head!

But now that I am really thinking about it, I do remember some of the girl's first. The first time Bailey walked (well, it was more like a run. hmmm...go figure!) The first time she crawled out of her crib and out her bedroom door that was at the top of the stairs. The first time she broke her arm. ...I'm seeing a trend here. Then there is Keat. I remember the first time I realized that Keaton couldn't stand on her own, the first time she walked with her braces, that awful "Hand,Foot, & Mouth" virus that actually lead to her legs healing, and the very first time she ran! Today, she actually runs better than either of her siblings.

Of course, I remember some of the not so good moments, but I guess if we didn't have those, we wouldn't realize what the good ones were. So I guess, I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I am enjoying their stage NOW...Caleb losing teeth, Bailey riding without training wheels, and Keaton singing/screaming "How Great is Our God."

You know,...it may not be as much as not remembering as it is taking the time out to recall the moments. I think that is what I am going to do with Beau...every new phase with him, I will take the time to remember those time with my own children. How blessed can I be to relive them twice!