Lil Bear

It shocks me when I realize my godson Lil Bear isn't even 2 years old yet. Unreal. 6, 8 months ago I'd casually think of him as you know, a 2-year old. And here he is, still 7 weeks away. Two weeks ago we were playing at Mamalu's - he'd come running at me and I'll tackle him, he'd laugh his head off and then sprint back to the line of scrimmage to start another play. All of a sudden I was like "...omigod...am I...literally tackling a one year old boy?"

But even funnier is today I realized that when I reference going to visit him, I say "I went over to Lil Bear's house." Not his dad's, not his mom's, but Lil Bear's. I catch myself earnestly saying out loud that I am going to visit a 1 year-old, same as I would were I visiting an old friend or colleague my own age. "Going to Lil Bear's, see yall later." To me he's a grown person - I can already see he'll be a quarterback even though he'll have the biggest thighs on the team, and I can see that if he spots you picking on a smaller kid you will hafta deal with him first. I can see it clear as day; I will not question this. He is the perfect amalgamation of boy, man, and shark with a mohawk that teaches Keats to Cub Scouts. Getting to see him is like Christmas morning: I love it, I live for it and it's worth going to sleep early for.