My Babies Are Gone

Both boys were born in late September (Hikaru following Makoto 3 years and 6 days). We didn't plan it that way, it just kinda happened. But with the start of September and Makoto now busy stalking about the house dropping "hints" about what he'd like for his birthday and Christmas (He drops hints the way the United States drops bombs) and trying to convince Hikaru to request other toys that he, Makoto, wants because Hikaru hasn't gotten this birthday thing down yet, I'm forced to concede something.

I no longer have babies, I have little boys.

Makoto will be five this year and Hikaru turns two (He's already well into the terrible bit of it) and... where did those babies go? They have been replaced by a pair of very loud and cheerful little boys who run around the house with screaming, yelling, giggling, and fighting. Playing upstairs, downstairs, around the stairs, and trailing a path of mess and destruction in their wake.

Now don't get me wrong, I personally think little boys are a bit more interesting as things go. They come up with all sorts of fun stuff to imagine, they can talk to you, roughhouse a little, and of course, for a father, little boys are that magic age when Daddy is more interesting than Mommy. I mean, be honest, when you have a baby, Daddy is great and all, but Mommy has the boobs and the boobs mean food. You can also take them to more interesting places such as zoos and parks.

But still, what happened to those two small babies that I held cradled in my arms? I'm fairly sure it wasn't all that long ago that I spent a month getting a fussy infant to sleep by singing Christmas carols over and over again. Have they really gotten so big so fast? I mean, it shouldn't have been that long ago that Makoto and Hikaru needed to hold my hand to take hesitant steps around the house, but now they climb up and down the stairs all day long without need of their father.

Yeah, it's great that both kids come to get their books read, but I remember holding a baby who was drowsily sucking at his bottle and tracing the lines of Daddy's face with one small hand.

It just doesn't seem right that such changes have happened so fast that by the time I turned around, those little ones have become someone else.

My babies have gone, in their place I have little boys whom I love to death, but I still remember them when they were babies and I got to wonder... What will they be like when I turn around again?