Corin’s crib has a very low mattress setting that these many months kept him from climbing out. We got a lot of mileage out of that bottom setting. But he will be three in a month, and it really was time. So tonight, Jon took the front off the bed and installed the toddler railing. I can tell you someone was very, very excited about this new development.

Tonight, I tucked the blanket around my sweet boy, his lovey and his stuffed zebra. His head rested on a full-sized pillow for the first time. I sat on the edge of the bed as I rubbed his back, and I remembered the tiny body that once looked so lost in that giant crib.

I needed this tonight. I needed a reminder, amidst the exhausting drudgery of more sickness and terrible feedings, that tiny babies grow up awfully fast. The reminder is two-fold: time with little ones is fleeting and to be treasured. And also, it gets easier.