I blinked and he grew big: Spencer turns four.

Once upon a time there was an itsy bitsy baby we called Spencer. He was so completely angelic and content for two whole weeks; and then he transformed into a screaming, discontented--but still preciously cute--colicky monster. This stage lasted an eternity; and around his five month mark, he slowly morphed into a Spencer we barely recognized, although much preferred. He didn't cry inconsolably for an extended amount of time. He actually smiled and giggled and interacted with the big wide world around him. We were more in love with this version of our baby than we thought possible.




Then he kept growing and growing and growing; and without permission, he suddenly turned four. I am not entirely happy about this development. He no longer fits in the crook of my arm like Baby Spencer. His whole world doesn't revolve around Mommy and Daddy; there's this whole new side he's begun to explore and sometimes even prefer. He's a big boy on the verge of being so far removed from the crying Baby Spencer that I almost wish for one more of those colicky days just so I can snuggle his warm, cuddly body against mine, breathe in his baby smell, and record all these little nuisances in my brain for always. I'm already forgetting so much of Baby Spencer, and soon I'll forget chunks of Toddler Spencer, and before I know it he'll be Daddy to some other little baby--full circle. Until then I need to figure out a way to stop time, to lavish every single second of my children's lives, because the years are going far too fast.




Today Spencer turned four years old. I blinked and he grew big. Seriously, that's how it happened. That fast. Oh, Spencie, my big boy.


***


As is our tradition, I treated each meal like a celebration today, worthy of candles and singing. I even let the boys eat their lunches in front of the TV, something Daddy is famous for, not Mommy. I did, however, neglect to put the correct number of candles in the breakfast cinnamon roll cake. I blame it on my subconscious not allowing Spencer to age. That, and I hadn't had coffee yet.

left: Spencer's last moments as a 3 year old.
right: first moments as a 4 year old.

"Let's go see how big I am in the mirror, Mommy."

Breakfast birthday cinnamon roll cake (minus one candle).

The treats he brought to his preschool summer camp. This is pretty neat for a boy with a summer birthday since he would normally miss out on the school birthday festivities. He wore his birthday shirt to camp and received a birthday bracelet from his teacher. It was a big deal.

Lunch birthday pancakes (with all four candles).

Tonight we honored another tradition of a family party at McDonald's, where we eat, the boys play, and then we stick a candle in ice cream and give Spencer a few small gifts to open. This year the gift from me wasn't a surprise because Spencer discovered the toy hidden in my not-so-secret spot. (I bet you can't guess which gift is from Daddy.)

***


I interviewed Spencer for another set of birthday Q&As. Here are both the "paper" version and video. (If you're interested in his third birthday interview, go here.)

And, lastly, here is Spencer's 4 year old growth picture. We only do it yearly now, but it's still fun to see his growth each year.

4 years.

Happy Birthday, Spencie!