Emery had his 2-month check-up today.  He is now in the 99th percentile for height at 25.5 inches, and the 87th percentile for weight at just over 15 lbs.  He’s growing well, is happy, and is doing all of the exciting things that young babies do—like coo, kick, flail his arms, smile, show curiosity, and follow people with his gaze.  He also had his first round of vaccinations today.  As he was reclining on the table about to get his shots, he was smiling at me and the nurse, to which the nurse exclaimed, “Oh, I wish he was a little more serious right now, because I’m going to feel really bad when I wipe that smile off his face with these shots!”  Of course he cried after his shots, but he settled down pretty quickly, and all in all, he’s handled the whole ordeal pretty well.  He went to sleep very peacefully tonight, and doesn’t appear to have developed a fever in response to the vaccines.  It’s crazy to think that he won’t be a baby by this time next year—that he will be a walking, talking, little boy.  The idea of it is exciting—to know that he will grow up into a neat little person before our very eyes.  But I’d be lying if I also didn’t admit that the idea of it stings a little—that our baby won’t be a baby forever, that his babyhood seems to be slipping through my fingers.  How do we savor these moments?  And how do we capture them so we can return to them whenever we need reminders of how precious and beautiful our lives are?

I am trying to learn how.