I met a boy.

I’ll never forget the moment.

I know no one’s perfect but, man—he sure was close.

And the first time I held him in my arms, I was absolutely certain that life as I knew it would never, ever be the same.

He had changed everything.

Absolutely everything.

And I was right.

Life was never, ever the same.

Because there were the sleepless nights.

The learning all the things I thought I already knew, but didn’t.

There was spending every second of every day caring for someone else.

The bath times and nap times and playtimes and bedtimes.

There was crawling, which turned to walking, which turned to running.

The kissing boo-boos and snuggling in bed and the sweetest voice I’d ever heard.

There was giggling. So much giggling.

And the tears. Lots and lots of tears.

Then, there was the growing up.

That most bittersweet part of the journey.

The part where that baby becomes a little boy.

A little boy who will become a big boy.

A big boy who will become a young man.

A young man who will become a man.

And things will change.

With each passing year, life will continue to never, ever be the same.

He’ll need you less and less, it may seem.

And the whole growing up thing may feel more bitter than sweet, at times.

So a piece of your heart will always cling to that little boy you once knew.

Because a mama never, ever forgets that moment.

The moment she met a boy.

This post originally appeared on Kisses From Boys with Krista Ward