growing up...

Well, in spite of all the chaos around here, we finally got William's room together enough to have him start sleeping in it.  There are still some final touches I'd like to make to complete the look I want and to make it more inviting for him, but at least all the big stuff is in or finished.  The first night was a little rough...  William kept going back into his old room.  I think he was a little frightened since nothing was familiar to him in his new room.  But by God's grace, he adapted quickly and runs excitedly to his room for sleeping times.  And He now refers to his old room as "Baby's room."  =)  We are so grateful for his little heart and how he is able to adapt and make room for Josiah in our family.  Oddly enough, it was sad to see William moving on to another room.  It is a sign that he continues to grow up, no longer my baby anymore.  He is so much more a little boy now than he is a baby.  It is amazing to watch him talk and interact so much more than even before I had to go to the hospital.  I am still surprised and a bit dismayed whenever he takes my hand in his since they've gotten so big now.  Where did the time go?  And when did he grow up so fast?  He has truly matured physically, developmentally, emotionally, and spiritually over the last month.  And it's odd now thinking about him as being the older one or the big brother.  Until Josiah, he had always just been the baby, despite how old he got.  

It reminds me that from the first day we get them, we are preparing our children for the day they will leave us, hopefully to pursue the Lord more fully as they embark on life more independently.  This is just one of many steps for us as we prepare William.  And as much as I hate to think about it, every day I have with William and Josiah to train them, is a day of laying a foundation and a day of lived anticipation for that one day when they will leave, and ultimately that one day when they will meet their Savior face to face.  Oh, though how I sometimes wish I could hold time still and keep William, my little boy, a little boy a while longer.  But time plows forward, and I realize that's one of the reasons why Scripture tells us to number our days as they are so fleeting.  We can't stop time, but we can make the most of every opportunity we have with our children, to make it count for the Lord... to train them and redeem our time with them for an eternal weight of glory, for something that will last.