Well, it's been over 4 days and nights with just my Sweet Pea, which was my nickname for my oldest son when he was a baby and that same amount of time without my Mr. Gant, the baby nickname for my youngest. It sure is different with one child to care for day in and day out. I can no longer truly know life with only one, but being with Sweet Pea for a longer period of time without his little brother gives me a pretty good idea of what it would be like with him as an only child. Since he is over 9 years old, his world is starting to broaden to include spending more and more time outside the house and with friends. His weekend is filled with video gaming and going around from friend's house to friend's house until I ask him to come home and see me. It's not that me minds spending time with us, he's just at that stage where he's testing out his independence and enjoying time with his peers on his own. I miss him...and it makes me miss his brother even more because he isn't to that part of life yet. He still mostly hangs out at home, helping us cook in the kitchen and chatting away about anything and everything under the sun. Now is the season to enjoy that time with Mr. Gant before he hits 9 and "leaves home" as well. :)
When Sweet Pea is around, we play Wii, board, and card games together, watch movies, and even go outside to throw the football or boomerang now and again, but he's growing up, and these times will become less and less as he moves into the world and creates a place for himself. I hardly ever ready to him anymore because he'd rather read on his own. He loves to read, and he's a quick study too, comprehending things from the text that only comes from experiences and dedication to reading over a longer period of time. I'm proud of him, but also see him changing form my little boy to that occasionally smart-mouthed pre-teen, and eventually, a grown man who will be taller and probably more intelligent and successful than his mom someday. He's full of potential like every child, and I can only hope and pray that I am able to properly nurture and encourage that potential in the best ways.
Tonight, he fell asleep in my bed beside me while I was chatting on the phone with my fiance, and that's okay. There won't be many more nights of this time together. As I turn to check on him, I consider how precious he is to me, and I remember going into his room when he was a newborn just to watch him breathe. I was so enamored and amazed by him, and I always will be. He's my Sweet Pea, and even though he has begun to outgrow me in certain ways, I am simply glad he still wants to sit down next to me in bed and read his books at night and that he is happy to hug me and tell me he loves me, even in front of his friends. It's much easier to let him go and grow that way...
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