First day of school and other firsts

On Tuesday, bounding down the steps of the yellow school bus, my first grader runs up to me and proclaims, "School was awesome!" He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, pats Daisy's head, shouts "Hi Kimmie!" and runs past me, into the house and up the stairs to his room.

Whhaat? That's all the greeting I get from my little boy who is now in school practically ALL day? Something starts tugging at my heart...can't pinpoint it...oh wait...oh no...here it comes... Doesn't he need me anymore?

Is my little baby boy all grows up?

Flashes of baby memories come flooding in--first poop, first tooth, first steps, first words, and so on. Is this the first "I-don't-need-you-24-7-brush-off?" While standing there, still in the doorway, I ponder this possibility. A tear trickles down my cheek and then another. And another. Sniffle. Sniffle. Oh stop this silliness I say to myself. I know deep down that Liam still needs me and will probably always need me. His needs as a baby evolved into toddler needs which transformed into first grader needs. There's no stopping this progression and I suppose that's what tugs at my heart the most. He is growing up a little everyday. In a blink of an eye.

I pull myself together and close the front door. I yell up the stairs, "Hey you, get down here and tell your mama about your first day of school!"

Liam scurries down the stairs and gives me a big squeeze. "Oh mom, it was so great..." He goes on and on. If you know Liam, this means that he will not stop to catch a breath until he describes every detail and finishes his speech. So I sit there, content to listen to his first day of first grade stories and wipe away stray chocolate chip cookie crumbs from his cheek from time to time. See, he does need me a little...who else can brush away those crumbs like mama can?