I love my son so much.

He’s simply an amazing little boy, who I fall for again, every single day, no matter how much he exhausts me or frustrates me.

He turned two a couple of weeks ago, and I am constantly being reminded that he is no longer a little baby any more.

It’s great seeing him learn new things as he explores his world and gets better and better at communicating. I love watching him grow and push his limits and delight in figuring out how to do something he couldn’t before.

But sometimes I miss the Good Ol’ Days. Back when was still our little baby…

1. I miss when he would take at least two good, long naps every day. Oh man, that was a Golden Age. I remember I used to shower almost every day back then!
2. I miss when he still regularly cuddled for a long time in my arms. We used to fall asleep together on the couch all the time. Almost every Saturday I’d get up with him early and we’d watch Batman cartoons together, until he fell asleep again. It was magical.
3. I miss when he didn’t intentionally throw his food and/or dishes. I weep for our carpet.
4. I miss when he somehow pooped poop that didn’t smell like poop at all. No, seriously, I swear that more often than not it smelled strangely like popcorn. Solid food changed all that.
5. I miss when he couldn’t yet really move from wherever I put him, even if not strapped down. Infant immobility is incredibly practical!
6. I miss when he wasn’t tall enough to reach and pull down things that were up on the table or kitchen counter. Finding him playing with our razor-sharp Japanese chef’s knife was the first time I actually said to him out loud “If your mother saw I left that where you could get it, I think she’d kill me.”
7. I miss when he hadn’t yet figured out how to turn doorknobs or defeat simple child-locks. While I’m proud of his ingenuity, these dang magnetic things are expensive, buddy!
8. I miss when he didn’t routinely remove his own shoes, socks or pants at inopportune times. To be fair, he gets this from me.
9. I miss when he still didn’t have the upper-body strength to do pull-ups on the gas oven door. I fear for the day he learns this lesson the hard way.
10. I miss when he would sleep soundly in his car seat beside us as we watched a whole movie in the theater. For a while I didn’t get why new parents complained they couldn’t go to movies as often any more, because Tuck was no hindrance… for a while. Now? Now I get it.

I know that before long we’ll have another little one with us, and I’ll get to re-live most of these things with Baby Boo. Of course, life will be much more complicated this time around, with a precocious toddler already in the mix, but it’s nice to think back to that simple time again.

And hey, I reserve the right to someday post about the Top 10 Things I Miss About Having Two Toddlers.