Even though my babies are now teenagers, when I close my eyes I can hear the echoes of the little children they used to be.

Because those little versions are still there.

They are in the dimples on their faces.

They are in their sweet expressions when they fall asleep.

They are in the way they throw their heads back when they find something truly funny.

They are there in their still-favorite blankets.

They are there every time they choose to sit down beside me on the sofa to play music or watch a movie.

They are always there - no matter how old their current versions get or how many inches they tower over me now.

And what a gift it is to watch the sweet merging of all those versions of my babies.