Milestones

"Mommy, what do you get when you have a snowman and a vampire?"

"I dunno. What?"

"Frostbites. Get it?! Because the snowman gives you frost, and the vampire bites you. Get it?!"

This is where we are right now. In the age of pranks and practical jokes and knock-knock jokes and every other type of joke. It's cute.

Aiden's got a big personality and is always full of love and life and wants to share it with others.

We always focus on big milestones. You know, the ones where our babies learn to walk and talk and start school and all that fun stuff. But, these days, I find myself smiling over other milestones.

Like when Aiden reads books to me. And fluently! Not with those choppy sentences where I feel like pulling my hair out because of how slowly he's reading.

Or when he designs math problems for me (instead of me designing math problems for him) and shows me the step-by-step process to solve them.

Or like when Aiden learns how to ride a two-wheel scooter. Fast. Really fast. Scary fast.

Or like when he sets an agenda for his weekend activities without consulting me. Because he knows what he likes and knows what he's interested in.

Or like when he knows that a certain TV show comes on at a certain times and claims, "I have to watch my show tonight!" Well, alright then.

Or when he shows up at home with love notes in his backpack from girls in his class. Oh, Lawd... I ain't even ready!

Or when he wants to pick out his own school clothes because he knows what he likes and knows what he's in the mood to wear on any given day.

All these milestones leave me feeling bitter-sweet. He's not a baby anymore. He's like... a real person. Happy, healthy, thriving. I could not be more proud of him.

Did I forget anything? What are some of the "other" milestones that we need to celebrate in our babies?!