Happy Beerday, Mama, my 22 month old son told me at breakfast. He then wished his Grandpop the same remembering it from last month. I told him, maybe later, but I’ll drink my hot tea first. Forgetting my age, or pretending to…..how is it possible that my baby is almost two?   It got me thinking how fast he went from being a newborn needing constant attention to becoming a I-want-to-do-it-myself toddler, who is constantly learning new things and words. And doesn’t think he needs our help. Ever. Ordinary things fascinate him. It’s amazing how much time he can spend “cooking” with my pots and pans or trying to balance a ball on a wooden spoon without dropping it.   Three balloons leftover from a party we attended a month ago provided endless fun. We drew cartoon faces on them, played basketball and made them dance over our heater vents after they were no longer buoyant. Yesterday, my son came downstairs and stood for a long moment staring at his toy box. One of the balloons had deflated to hand size. Sean said “Bye-bye little balloon” when we discarded it.   My husband laughs when I grab my camera to document each new moment. But in the digital age, aren’t we all trying to capture the first times our babies experience life to tuck away for the coming teenage years?   On New Year’s Eve day we had our first snowfall of the season. We suited our son up in his snow boots, coat, hat and mittens. Outside in a sea of white, the first thing he did was grab a fistful of snow and taste it. “Yummy!” he said making his own snowcones. I was glad I had captured his expression. Not all the pictures and video we take are Kodak moments but some are. To him, life is simple. There are many wonderful things ahead for him to explore. Watch out Mama and world, Sean’s almost two. Here he comes.   Marlene Smith can be found on twitter @MarSmith. She'd love to connect with you.