Not a Baby

My youngest child consistently tells me, "I not a baby; I a big kid."  He is starting to exert his autonomy.  He runs off at the park to play returning only to look for water and snacks.  He is a big kid, and he runs with the biggest.  He nurses less frequently sometimes going for days between asking for milk.  He makes sure everyone knows that his room is the one he shares with his big brother.  If E says something about his bed, B is sure to correct him.  He has laid claim to the bottom bunk.  It is his.  He now sleeps in his own room.  He decided last week that he would sleep in "his bed."  It is only when the morning light shines that he climbs into our bed for snuggles.  Last night he came into his room where the older kiddos were listening to a story.  They had fallen asleep, and he wanted to join them.  He crawled up between them and fell asleep.  He did this without me.  It was bittersweet.