my last day...

Today is my last day with this little guy and I am teary.  I have been with Graham since the first week of my summer break, for 8 weeks now, and it has been simply wonderful.

Graham was so little when I started watching him and sick in the beginning, really sick. His mommy was really sick too; but we all got through those first weeks together. It was a team effort.

What did we do all day?  Graham and I went for walks every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, and read books and watched baby videos that totally stimulated and engaged him.  We went to music class once a week and he watched me make dinners almost daily. We looked at trees and airplanes outside and watched it rain together on the front porch. We watched each other.

What did I do all day?  I watched Graham learn to smile and laugh and kiss and stand with help.  I watched him get stronger and learn to talk and boy, does he love talking his gibberish. I've watched his personality begin to develop before my eyes and I would predict that he is going to be a funny little one as sometimes, he looks as if he is giving me a little smirk, almost telling me that he knows what is going on. I've watched him soak up all that he is exposed to with a serious face; trying to figure things out.  What else did I do all day?  I help him and snuggled him and loved him.  What a gift.

What did I discover?  Graham is a happy baby and I mean really happy. He greets everyone with a smile as soon as he wakes and will randomly give kisses. He loves to be talked to and looked at and held. What else?  He is loving; so very loving.

What am I going to miss?  I will miss not walking into the H's home in the morning and seeing my beautiful daughter.  I will miss the cinnamon coffee waiting for me and our quick conversations before Sarah heads off to her job. I will miss our constant messaging and her reaction to all the pictures I send her during the day so she can see what her precious one is doing.  I will miss not hearing Chris come home and open the door, check the day's notes and then look at his baby boy with loving eyes.

My summer has been wonderful and it is one that I will forever remember.  It is the summer I was able to spend precious time with my little Graham.