Comings and goings

Baby Graham is 7 months old! And right on schedule, we’re seeing early signs of separation anxiety creeping in. Suddenly little man knows that I exist even when I’m not in his line of sight, and he doesn’t want to miss a second of whatever I’m up to. Whether I’m leaving him to play on the floor solo while I take a quick bathroom break or handing him off to someone else, he is not having it. I felt awful when he burst into tears a few days ago when I passed him to my mother-in-law; I know it had to have hurt her feelings a little bit that he was so upset as soon as I handed him over. Thankfully, he warmed up to “Mawmaw” pretty quickly and smoothed things over with her with some big smiles and chuckles.

The other day at work, my mom was watching Graham and ‘FaceTimed’ me during my lunch break. We’ve done this in the past, and Graham usually just kind of smiles at the screen or acts distracted. This time, Graham saw me on the screen, smiled a big smile and reached for the phone. When he couldn’t touch me, he burst into tears. It broke my heart a little to see him miss me, but it was really sweet at the same time. We tried it the next day again (I know, what’s wrong with us), and the same thing happened. It’s official; our little guy misses me while I’m gone.

One of the perks of this new separation anxiety is that Graham is really showing affection whenever we are “reunited.” When I get home from work, I get rewarded with tight hugs and sweet giggles. Today when I got home, our babysitter had him in his bouncer. I walked in the room, and he jumped up and down excitedly like a wild man, waving his arms up and down, babbling excitedly. I picked him up, and he wrapped around my neck and squeezed me for the next few minutes. Then, he put his little open mouth on my cheek—I think it was the first “kiss” he’s given! It was a little sticky, but it was the absolute sweetest thing I’ve ever experienced.

It’s the most amazing feeling to receive affection from my sweet boy. After 7 months of giving him so much love, time and energy, it’s an incredible feeling to know he really loves us back. He’s really starting to become his own little person with a spirited personality. There’s nothing more rewarding than him laughing with us, hugging us, seeing him light up when we walk into a room, seeing that he realizes that we’re his people. Every day I think that my heart couldn’t possibly hold anymore love—as it’s already bursting at the seams, and every day I’m proved wrong.