thesearethedays

Shepherd and I are headed east tomorrow morning. The good: we have both missed Aaron so, so much. I can't wait to be home with him. The bad: we've had an amazing time with my parents while we have been here, and I'm not ready for it to end. I can't bring myself to say "visiting;" even after two-and-a-half years of living in Florida, this is still home.

I've immensely enjoyed seeing my parents as grandparents, even moreso now that Shep is quite a bit more aware and alert. They are amazing with him, and I'm so thankful for spending a week with my mom's help and wisdom. From diaper changes to making bibs to walking with him when he is fussy, my mom has given me such a break. It's been fun to just be able to watch and SEE Shepherd. It's a huge blessing to have this week. I am so jealous of people who live near their families! I don't think we will ever be able to, which makes our days together precious.

A favorite moment from this week:
Shepherd loves the baby he sees in the mirror, but on Monday morning, he was especially irritated about something. Mom held him up to her bathroom mirror and Drehpehs was born. Drehpehs (Drep-us) is the opposite of Shepherd; when our sweet boy turns grumpy, we now have a name for his alter ego or mirror image. Shep grinned from ear-to-ear when Mom gave him his new nickname. It's stuck. So funny. We will have these tiny moments as memories for ever.

Just so happy to spend time here.