Tread Carefully, dear one of mine

I had another one of those moments....those mama-moments of wanting to hold on to time, to freeze-frame or hit the pause button as it speeds by and spills all slippery-like through my fingers.  Another realization that baby-boy Caleb will soon be a distant memory. 

It all started because I bought him a pair of shoes.  His first pair!  We didn't think we needed to spend money on shoes before he started walking so we waited....then he started walking and I stalled....but we were well beyond the need for shoes so Michelle took us yesterday to emart and we bought Caleb his first pair of shoes.

Let me tell you, I had one proud little man on my hands!

Do you see that look on his face? He walked all over, pointing his feet all around with a huge smile on his face and he couldn't wait to show daddy when he got home!

It was a gorgeous afternoon so in honor of his new shoes we decided to go for a walk.  But this time we let him down to walk all by himself in his new shoes.

And there was the moment:  watching him walk away on his own two feet in his own new pair of shoes, walk all by himself off into the big, wide, waiting world.  I tried to take his hand but he would have nothing of the kind...He wanted to walk

All.

By.

Himself.

There's mama, trying to hold on, grasping at the back of his vest when he pushed away my hand and took off....trying to keep him from falling on the pavement, trying to protect him, my sweet baby boy.

Why do I have the sudden feeling I'll be trying to do this for the rest of my life?

Watch his expressions in some of these pics -- He loved it, eating  up this new found freedom -- they vary from downright determination to absolute elation.

(Sidenote: I love that last picture -- My two men! Not pictured: my heart melting into a sloppy puddle!)

I like this picture above a lot as well...Caleb was so independent, wanting to go all over by himself but I treasured the sweet moments when he'd grab our hand or our pants to steady himself...precious boy!

I'm left watching this little one with his new-found steps of independence, grasping to memorize these sweet moments, in hopes that they will linger.

Tread lightly on these paths of life,

this journey will not last....

Don't ground your feet too hard to earth

rather place your hope only in your second birth. 

Your blip in life brief will be,

secure your heart in eternity.