Meet Luke.

I wish I started this Blog four years ago, when Luke was a tiny little baby, boldly achieving all of his 'firsts' and I was a casual bystander, documenting it all as it happened, in Real Time. At a time when I knew how old he was, right down to the number of days. When I only had him to pay attention to... to love... to hold... to hug... to do laundry for...

It seems hard to tell the Luke Story from this vantage point. He is now a boy. A bona fide Boy. He runs with ease. He plays independently. He tries to tell jokes. He sings. He dances.

He's a bit of a character.

He has a best friend -- his cousin Lauren.

Here they are on vacation in Cape Cod together a few weeks ago.

Here they are last summer.

Crabbing & Baking

(on different days...they were not baking the crabs)

He enjoys watching our tomatoes and herbs grow in the garden. He has a great laugh. He has a smile that fills my heart and a hug I can't get enough of. He is imaginative. And a tad compulsive. He likes to sort things by color and organize things in straight lines.

But these days, mostly, he talks.

Incessantly.

I'm not even exaggerating. To be truthful, it can be downright exhausting. No one stands a chance. Finishing a sentence -- even a thought -- is next to impossible.

Like all parents I'm sure, I couldn't wait for Luke to utter his first word. Careful what you wish for! He has more to say to me in an afternoon than I have to say in a week. He drives us all a little crazy, but a lot of the time, he is interesting. And interested. He wants to know everything. His most used words are: I, ME, BUTMOMMY, and the best of all: WHY.

Why do sharks live in the ocean and not the lake? Why can't I walk alongside the car while you are driving, Mommy? Why do I have to clean up my own messes? Why don't people clap after each song at church? Why can't we stay on vacation in Cape Cod forever? Why do I have to listen to other people talk?