My Little Man

My sweet little boy turns 4 in a couple of days.  I feel like time continues to pass quickly, the weeks fly by, the days are short, the hour between 4 p.m. and bedtime is long...just joking, sort of.  I remember the surprise when he was born, I expected another girl.  What would I do with a little boy?  Having 3 nieces and a daughter, I wasn't sure I would know.  Fast forward to today and I can't imagine life without WB.  He is such a source of laughter and joy in our home, he balances us out in some way.  I think I relate to him in more ways than I would of expected, he is the middle child, smack dab between his two sisters.  He is playful, silly, serious, feisty, soft, hilarious, tough, sensitive, emotional, moody, smart, sneaky, athletic, sweet and spicy.  I feel like he is a mixture of so many opposites.  He is a Gemini and not that I hold a lot of stock in horoscopes, but he definitely seems to embody the spirit of twins, the two sided coin, wrapped in one brilliant and amazing little package. 
He has been more needy for me in the last several weeks, for lack of a better way to put it.  He talks of wanting to marry me, which his older sister always informs him will never happen since I am married to Daddy.  He wants more kisses.  He says I love you first when I put him to bed.  He wants me to hold him and snuggle him tight, hold his hand.  I don't know if he senses, as I do, that he is growing up.  I know, he's only 4, he's not even off to kindergarten next year or anything, but I can see him maturing, changing, becoming more independent.  He's finding ways to control his emotional outbursts, restrain himself when that fiery temper of his flares up.  He recognizes his role as a big brother to little E and takes it on with gusto. 
I sometimes wish there was a pause button on the remote control of life and I could just freeze him right where he is for a little while.  I know I can't, so I am doing my best to soak every little bit of him in...to give in to the pleas for more snuggles, for dragging out bedtime with one more story, this time is precious.  We blink and our children are school age and then I imagine we blink again and they are headed off to high school and beyond. 
Last night, after I snuggled WB and his daddy laid down next to him, he said, "Dad, did you notice how much Mom loves me?"  My heart melted.  If I give him nothing else of mine, I've given him what is most important.  Happy Birthday, my little man.