Stop Right Where You Are!

Today as I was pondering over what to do with two new school shirts I bought that I think are too small for Jack, Hamish said to me "it's ok mummy, just keep them till I start school next year". My initial reaction was to laugh and then I realized ... Holy cow!! He's right.
My little man is starting school in less than nine months! It's made me feel like I want to relive that whole nine months in, nine month out idea that is talked about a lot in early parenting.
For those that haven't heard about it, it's the idea that after being pregnant for nine months, you give the baby nine months to get used to the outside world but doing things like feeding on demand and being in physical contact by baby wearing etc. It's basically the idea that you let the child learn separation from mummy in a similar time frame to pregnancy.
I'm not as panicked about school this time as I was with Jack at the same countdown point but I do want to try and make sure I soak up the last of the time I have my baby home with me. I do want to hold him a little tighter tonight as I have become aware that soon he will be moving to the next stage of development ... The one where I have to let go a little.
Saying that he is going to be so ready for school! He is already enjoying the direction and guidance from the preschool teachers. And in the last few weeks he has started sounding out words like cat, cold, hot, mummy and little. He asked me to help him read like Jack reads a reader every night. So I asked Jack's teacher if I could borrow a few of the lowest level of reader and now every night he is reading us these basic books. He can count to 100, and knows what the numbers up to 100 look like when written. But more than just the educational parts of school he has also spent a lot of time in the last few months trying to make well balanced friendships, working on learning to follow directions (mine, his brothers, preschools and friends) and just basically trying to learn to be a more calm and helpful little boy.
And it's working! This little man who has been ... Umm ... difficult, irrational, emotional, manic, wildly and passionately loving, and full of more ups and downs than anyone I have ever met, is trying.
My heart sings for him and for me. Firstly I can't quite imagine how much nicer it must be for him to feel in control of himself more often. It's certainly more relaxed in our home. And although if he's tired, or over stimulated we can have nutty moments .... Well let's be honest we all have those and if we expect our children to survive ours then the least they can expect is for us to ride theirs out with them.
So anyway I digress, nine months in? At almost 5? I think it can be done and in a way I think both of us need it to be done. I wish I could tell time to 'stop right where you are' for a moment, before the real countdown to school begins. I hope the next nine months goes slowly. I hope we can find the time and energy to nurture each other a bit more and have these last nine months continue the way the beginning of this year started. Let the countdown begin!!
Watching - The new Doctor Who eps
Listening - Whatever comes up when I pick shuffle on my iPhone
Reading - Decided to finish reading Zombies vs Unicorns'
State of mind - Pretty chilled considering AB is away, feeling a bit more besotted with my kids than usual and generally pretty damn content with the life I have. Ahh the bliss!! :)