Sometimes I catch myself staring at his nearly-grown-up face, and I realize he is EVERY person he’s ever been all mixed into one.

The newborn with his itty-bitty sneezes who loved to sleep on my chest.

The chubby toddler on pudgy baby legs laughing with glee as I chased him from the bath down the hall.

The preschooler jumping off the stairs onto couch cushions on the floor or waking rumpled from a nap.

The eight-year-old with giant chiclet teeth just learning to read Harry Potter or heading up to bat with a wide, nervous smile.

The tween obsessed with reptiles, begging for a lizard in his room.

The skateboarder, the eighth grader, the new driver, the kid on his phone, the three-point shooter, the boy measuring his heights against the wall in the kitchen.

Now he’s a graduating senior.

He’s practically grown.

And yet, he’s the same boy I’ve always known.

What a gift it is to watch him grow.

I’m cheering for whoever he’ll become next!