Little Guy's new skill means the end of my alone time, and so much more ...

A typical weekday morning consists of lots of noises (at the moment, a lot of high pitch screams as the boys egg each other on for anything and everything) and me trying to stay calm. It usually doesn't work. I always end up needing to raise my voice once or twice. What keeps me sane is knowing that after the storm (when the kids are fed, washed and changed), I get a little time to myself as I get ready.

This morning was not unlike any other. The kids were changed and ready so I skipped and hopped (okay - not really, that's just in my head) to my bathroom for "me time". Not one minute after sitting down on the toilet do I hear "ke ka, ke ka" (with a metallic quality to the sound). Yup! Little Guy has figured out how to turn the door knob and open the door with his free will! 

He walked in with a big smile (the kind that's accompanied with a glint in his eyes as if he's got something up his sleeves) and closed the door behind him. He turned around and started knocking on the door as he belted out "Do you want to build a snowman …" from Frozen (he's obsessed with it and particularly Elsa). While listening to him, it dawned on me that I will be going without my cherished alone time for a while until he gets old enough to grasp the concept of privacy and "me time" for mama. 

As I sat there pondering the temporary loss of my "me time", I recognized a certain difficult to name emotion that I had felt once before … when Buddy learned to open the door. See, Little Guy will be 3 in about three weeks. He figured out the door knob a couple of weeks ago. It was still surprising to him that he could do that. I saw it on his face - that mixture of amazement at himself, glee about what comes with this new skill, and a bit of surprise that he can do it. 

"Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone 

Yes, it was that mixture of joy and sadness from acknowledging that my little baby is growing up … and taking with him, my heart as he walks through any door he opens.