6 years

I've always known that around age 18, kids head off to college. But not until recently did I understand the full impact of what this means... that we only have 18 years with our kids because when they leave for college, they'll (most likely) never live full time at home again. And now that Jack is 6.5 years old, already 1/3 of that time we have with him at home is gone. In those 6 years, we've gone from holding him for the very first time.....

..... to seeing him sit on his own, roll over, crawl, walk, run, grow teeth, smile, laugh, eat solid foods, throw a ball, kick a ball, ride a bike, swim, tell jokes, write, read a book, do math, build friendships and just become the loving boy he is.

Only two night ago, as I was tucking Jack into bed, did I realize that in 2 days, it will have been 6 years since I first laid eye on Jack.... in a crib, sleeping on his tummy with his butt in the air, sucking on the fingers on his right hand, with snot running down his nose. As I was telling Jack of this momentous moment in my life, tears came to my eyes. In true 6 year old fashion, he said "oh" and that was it.

But perhaps something stuck because about an hour and a half later, Jack came into my room, crawled into my bed and laid down on me -- all while he was fully asleep. He has talked in his sleep before but this was the first time he slept walked. Perhaps somewhere, deep down, he also felt the connection and just wanted to be with his mommy.