Too Much Cuteness

That's what my friend Kristi kept saying, when she saw Malachi this last March.
Too much cuteness.
I still wake up with a feeling of pure joy, even when my night has been interrupted every hour by a teething baby, because I cannot believe I get to wake up to this.
This cuteness.
If Malachi wakes up too early, at about four a.m., I change his diaper and give him a bottle and settle him with his daddy, who by then is usually on the sofa in the living room.
They both seem to sleep better out there.
Then I keep peeking at them, because seeing their sleeping faces is about as good as it gets.

On the morning I took these pictures, Julia woke up early too.
Malachi adores his big sister.

Today we take her to college.
It's close to home. It's my alma mater. It's small and beautiful and I think she's going to love it there.
But.
But this little guy is going to miss her.
The other sister will be disconsolate.
My quiet, sleepy mornings are going to feel a little different.
And our not-so-big house, which has been packed to the gills all these years, will have an empty bedroom for the first time since Julia was born.

I hope when I wake up tomorrow morning, and carry the baby out to his daddy, and nestle him on the sofa, I still feel the joy and gratitude and wonder that I have felt every morning since bringing Malachi home.
It's a lovely way to start the day.