The Perfect Age

What is the perfect age of a child?  

Is it that first day when you get to see their beautiful face and hear that precious cry? 

Is it day 3 when you leave the hospital only to find out that their sleeping preferences have totally changed and gone are the long sleep patterns that they had in the hospital?  

Is it when they smile at your for the first time and your heart skips a beat because you realize you made that little being (with some help)?

Is it when they begin to explore the art of crawling and get up on their haunches only to fall right back down again?  And then move on to the military crawl, or even more pitiful, the backwards crawl?

Is it when they learn to babble and keep themselves awake with the constant splatter coming out of their mouth?  And this trend continues until, well, I'm not sure when it ends.  I'm still waiting.

Is it when they go to school (Mom's Day Out even) and you feel your heartstrings being tugged on because this is your first glimpse into the reality that your little one is going to grow up?  But then you suddenly realize that you have a few moments of precious time on your hands and you think of forty-eleven things to do and suddenly your 3-hour solstice has abruptly ended.

Is it when they learn to go to the bathroom all by themselves and you watch as the money tree suddenly grows new leaves from not being plucked for diapers?  And then a whole new wave of fun comes through - germs in public restrooms!

Is it when you begin to read a bedtime story aloud only to be interrupted by a sweet little voice reading the words before you get to them?  And then you begin to wonder just how many of these stories that you've read for the past 3 years he/she has memorized.  

Is it when you catch two siblings actually playing together and no one is hitting, biting, kicking, or screaming?  Suddenly you wonder if this is bliss or if you're somehow dreaming.  And then you quickly think how many things you can get done in these 2.5 seconds before all hell breaks loose once again?

Or is it every day when you just look at those precious faces and think, "Am I the luckiest person on the planet or what?"  

Each year, each milestone, each new adventure leaves me thinking that "this is the perfect age."  I find myself looking ahead to the future when the boys will be able to go outside and play without supervision and lo the many things I can get done.  But then I look at today and realize I wouldn't give up one minute of today to fast forward to the future.  My boys are precious and although I struggle at it, I try to enjoy each and every minute I'm with them.  They won't be little forever and I'm okay with that but I want to cherish it while they are.