Love from near and far

It's funny how time marches on without you realizing it.

Today, my little man is going on his first ever sleep-over without mum or dad there. Yup, he's nearly two and a half and he's never spent the night anywhere without his parents. I don't know if it's circumstance, my over-protective nature or maybe a combination of both. But tonight he will have his first sleep-over party with my in-laws. They've filled his mind with thoughts of playing soccer, going to the park, feeding the ducks and watching a new movie. He was giddy all day with anticipation.

As we waved him off not an hour ago, I was so conflicted. Part of me wanted to jump for joy to have a whole night and morning to myself. The other half of me wanted to sob that my little man is getting so big. Such an independent little man that he waved back to us from the car with a smile on his face and adventure in his eyes. He is no longer the unsure, clingy little boy that he used to be. That solitary moment just smacked home how much he's grown in the past year.

At the same time, the little life inside of me continues to grow every day too. Just yesterday I felt the first little flutters and tickles of life. That feeling makes the pregnancy so real and so miraculous. Feeling a baby move inside of you reaffirms the reality that you house a life that is simultaneously independent and completely dependent.

And so as one of my heartsongs sings his tune from afar tonight, the other has begun to sing from within. A symphony of love.