More crib standing

William is so active that it can be hard to get a good, in-focus picture of him these days. One of the baby books describes this as "busy baby" syndrome, and man oh man, is that an accurate description.

This morning, I wanted to capture a few images of him standing up in his crib, now that he can do it without help.















But it wasn't easy. He can see so much more from this new vantage point that he just gets super excited. Waving and chatting and grabbing for things.



















It is fun, however, to watch him enjoy himself so much. He's just so pleased with himself that you can't help but smile back at him.


















But wow, it's starting to really hit home that William won't be a baby much longer. He's on the way to being a toddler...and then a little boy....and then a big boy....and then...okay, I need to stop that train of thought. I'll get sniffly if think about that.

I know I've been saying for months now that he's "growing up" but seeing him doing things like crawling and standing really make it start to seem real. I'm trying to savor the moments that I have with him as a baby, since I know these days are numbered. I try to kiss his sweet soft little cheeks and neck every single time I pick him up. And when I brush his baby-fine hair back off his forehead, I try to commit to memory exactly how it feels to do that. I'm trying to memorize his hilarious giggle, the one that rings out when he's really tickled about something, like when we kiss his tummy or hold him high above our heads like he's Superman (or as we call him Super William). He's just such a sweet little baby that I don't want to forget all these things later, when he's too busy to spend a couple of minutes snuggled up with Mama. He's almost too busy to do that now!

But I'm also delighted by William's obvious excitement over doing new things. There is something almost indescribably adorable about watching him tentatively crawl across the living room rug, with his little diaper-padded bottom shuffling behind him. Even as we are trying to intercept him and prevent him from pulling out all the wires from the stereo or grabbing books off the coffee table, I have to smile at the expressions on his face. All that stuff that used to be inaccessible is now within his reach, and oh boy, does he love that!

So I guess it would be fair to say that I am relishing this time--but it's also a tiny bit bittersweet. Want to know why I take so many photos of him? I never want to forget what he looked like at a certain age. Even though I know I won't ever truly forget, I know that memories can get a little hazy after awhile. I always want to be able to look back and see William's face at two months, seven months, ten months. Thank goodness for digital cameras.