Let me hold you longer

I just went up to Brayden's room to check on him. He got put to bed early tonight because he was misbehaving and not minding Mommy, and he was laying in there reading books in his crib for awhile. He was just about asleep when I checked on him, but awake enough to sit up and want me to pick him up. I could have just shut the door and let him lay back down and go to sleep but I chose to pick him up and rock him for a few minutes. I sat down and held him so tight and just rocked him, I squeezed him and found myself blinking back tears because every day he gets older and every day is one day closer to the day he wont let me rock him any longer. I've loved rocking Brayden, I've done it since the day he was born, and its some of the most relaxing time we spend together, his head on my chest/shoulder, us just rocking together. These days, I sit with him in the rocker while I read to him, and we rock while we read, and these occassional times where he isn't asleep yet, if he wakes up in the middle of the night, or if he's sick. It's a good thing that he's growing up, it's a great and beautiful thing, but its so important to treasure those little moments that are gone in the blink of an eye. To soak up these moments when he's still small enough to hold in my arms, to put his head in the crick of my neck and to whisper "love you" back to me after I first whisper "I love you" to him. I'm so thankful for this beautiful boy God has given to Mike and I and all the memories we've had with him so far and all the ones still to come...