You know how sometimes a single photo can completely overwhelm you and make you stop to catch your breath? This one from our Fourth of July weekend did it to me.

I took this picture of my youngest son, Finley, holding onto me as we stood ankle-deep in the water and let the waves crash against our legs over and over again. He was smiling and laughing as the waves would roll in closer and closer until they finally splashed up on us and made his whole body rock back. Each time, he clenched my leg until the water crept back out and he felt safe enough to loosen his grip.

He kept saying, "Mommy, don't move. I need to hold onto you."

Whew.

Oh, my precious baby boy ... who is not such a baby anymore.

You are my last experience with all of this. You are the last one to sit in my lap at bedtime. You are the last one to ask me to kiss your boo-boos. You are the last one to crawl into our bed each night.

And you are the last one to hold onto me.

So, don't worry, little one, I'm not moving until you say it's OK.

I need to hold onto you, too.

Love (and hold on) more,

Dana

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