Sometimes Goodbyes Aren't Sad

I haven't kept a baby book of Micah's developments. I started out with grand intentions - after all, I'd kept a record of all the other kids. At least for a while. I think Luke's bottomed out somewhere around his fourth tooth. But hey, it was a start. And I started with Micah as well. I dutifully wrote in his birthdate, complete with time of day down to the minute. I recorded his weight and length (because kids aren't measured in height until they can remain vertical on their own) and I filled in his family tree. After that, things kinda came to a screeching halt. I wanted to fill it out, I really did. But when your kid has major delays in most areas of his life, it gets discouraging. In fact, we're still waiting for things like his first lost tooth, potty training (we're so close!) and that whole vaguely gray area of his first word. Was it Shrek, when he used that deeply gutteral sound for a K so many years ago? Or are we still waiting for a crystal clear "daddy" to come out of his mouth?

And then there are milestones that aren't recorded in baby books. We've rejoiced over things like Micah being able to climb the steps of the sliding board all by himself. We're still thrilled when he makes whole sentences on his Voice. (There are no baby books that have a section for an artificial Voice. Trust me.) And how about the day he learned to dress himself, or put his shoes on, or even wash himself in the bathtub? For Micah, those are reasons to celebrate one more step to independence. That is one more thing that I won't have to do for my son when he is an adult. It's one more reason to be incredibly proud of him and how hard he works at everyday life.

One of the milestones that he may never reach, that don't have a place in baby books, is drinking from a cup. We've been in Sippy Cup Land for 15 years now, and there will likely never be an end to it. (Do you KNOW how much money we've spent on sippy cups over the years?!) Except today, I realized that there will be an end. Sometimes Smart hits me over the head and knocks some sense into me.

Today, I realized that I can give the boy a straw in a cup. He's responsible enough to not spill it (for the most part) and we don't have to worry about matching lids with bottoms. He can now graduate to being a big boy, drinking from a straw. Go, me, for allowing Smart to smack some sense into me. And go, Micah, for being patient with me all these years in not figuring that out a long time ago.

And this is exactly why I blog. Micah doesn't have a baby book. It's just not accurate, nor does it have the appropriate reasons for rejoicing. Instead, I can write about each of his milestones here and have them remembered for all time.

Today marks the end of the Sippy Cup Era. Let the world rejoice.