still my baby

Feeling a little cooped up after nearly a week (going on two now) of laying low due to sickness, Christian and I ventured out Friday to the National Zoo to get some air and work out some wiggles. Besides, it was Christian's big half-birthday, and I figured we should do something to mark the big day.

Christian went wild. He spent maybe all of five minutes in the stroller over the course of three hours. Climbing small boulders, slipping around landscaping fences, insisting on pushing the stroller all by himself, following older kids around while trying to copy their every move -- needless to say, we were both exhausted by the time we made it back to the car.

And, of course, when we were less than 10 minutes from pulling into our apartment parking lot, Christian nodded off in his carseat, despite my attempts to keep him awake.

But, it turns out he was so tired that he had totally zonked out. Which meant I got to cradle him in my arms and carry him up the stairs to our apartment, down the hallway and into his room. As I stared into his sweet sleeping face, it was nice to be reminded that he still needs me. That even though he masters new skills daily, he's still my baby. And he's still got a lot to learn that Shane and I get the privilege of teaching him.