The Last One

Today, tonight- the last time with our last One.

We celebrated a day early, so out-of-towners could be with us. We ate lots of cookies. We played with lots of trucks. We ran and laughed and got hot and sticky. Then, as the sun was going down on the last day of our last One, I went out to the back porch for a little peace... and he came out with me. Our last One, my last One.

He crawled up on my lap, settled right in, sighed happily, babbled to me... everything he said with intense sincerity, eye contact, and many recognizable words. I marveled to myself at this One.

He laid on my lap as the sun sank, attempting the roosting bird calls all around us, trying to talk to Leeloo, saying something about Sissy and cookies and muddy mud.

He strapped on Sissy's shoes, all by himself. He counted all three princesses- "One, one, two, treeee! Pin-sss-ESses."

I tickled his sweaty back, and wondered how much longer he'll be in diapers... probably not much longer. Not with this One.

I admired the sunlight in his unruly curls. My fuzzy-headed golden boy, my happy guy.

He sat comfortably with me, chatting casually, asking questions and listening to the answers. He didn't want to practice saying, "I'm two!" He seemed to just want to linger in the peace, the quiet, the fading light...

...it was like he knew it was his last evening being One... our last One.