My Big Baby. :(

I'm starting to realize that the end of having a baby is near, and that things I once could do with my baby I can do no more. Things I can do with my almost not baby now will end in the foreseeable future, and it's making me sad. Things like being able to cuddle with him on the couch have essentially disappeared, even though he will snuggle up with anyone else but me. 

He's making great progress with his learning and with his compassion and with his love and his kindness. A friend looked at this picture and said, "He looks like a little gentleman." Indeed, he certainly is my little gentleman.

He's already opening doors for me, closing doors for me, turning lights on and off for me. He says please, thank you and you're welcome at the appropriate times, and has been for quite some time. He tells me he loves me every morning when he first wakes up, and usually gives me a kiss. (And then proceeds to meow like a cat with his sleepy voice- which is literally the cutest sound in the world.) He greets people when he sees them and bids them goodbye when he intends to leave. He says 'nite nite' when it's time to go to bed, and pretends to snore. He is genuinely my little gentleman and I want to keep him forever and ever and ever and ever. 

The other week, Dominic and I were looking at a picture book, and he saw a picture of a crying baby. His face turned down, and he started to whimper. He then began to nicely rub his fingers on the baby's face saying, "Shhh, shhhh." And then, he put his whole hand on the baby's face and said, "MWAH!" Every time he sees the picture of this baby, he somberly hangs his head and lets out a quiet whimper, as if to tell the poor child that he understands how he feels. I think that's his limit- he usually furiously turns the page after that. But I remember posting about a time when we brought him to school and there was a little girl there crying and no one could make her feel better. Dominic crawled over to her and sat very close, and she immediately stopped crying. Any time he sees another baby cry, he walks over and gives hugs and kisses. He really is something special.

He's learning so many animal sounds! He oinks at pigs, growls at the rhinos and any generally ugly animal, meows at cats, barks at dogs, and moos at cows! Vocabulary expands everyday, and he knows me by mommy and daddy by daddy. He knows Cotton by 'Cocky' and juice by deeuuuzzz. Socks by box and shoes by deeeuuuzzzz. Huh. Funny, I thought that was juice. Anyway. He says cookies and crackers, yummy and yucky, eww and pewww (and uses them ALL properly). He sometimes sniffs my feet and gets up with a wrinkled face and a 'PEEWWWWW.' He picked that trick up from me because I do it to him a million times a day. We have another very special word but that's a Christmas present. :)

I just can't believe what a difference just a year and a half makes. I cannot believe that he's talking and associating words with real life things and feelings. I cannot believe he's already displaying compassion and empathy. I cannot believe that 'baby' is going to have to leave my vocabulary when I refer to my sweet Dominic! My climbing, screaming, comedic, dancing, laughing baby is not a baby- but a boy. I sure can't wait to print this blog out and give it to him when he gets older and has a wife and decides to have a family. I do need to capture more of the funny moments in here- and the ones that are just plain crazy. Those are the best ones!