1.  I’ve got thirty minutes. Let’s go.

2.  We’re working on graduation announcements for the oldest and I’d like someone to tell me how in the holy hell we ended up here.

3.  I look at T’s 6’4″ self and see a lifetime.

4.  I see a pudgy baby grabbing Cheerios off a tray.

5.  An enthusiastic toddler furiously peddling a Big Wheel bike.

6.  A parade of snacks and pizza nights.

7.  I see that stint of gaming when we worried endlessly about too much screen time.

8.  His joy discovering wakeboarding.

9.  Skateboarding joy weaving in then out then back into his life.

10.  I see a love for cars blossom and the surprise of snowboarding showing up as a hobby.

11.  Somehow I see T at every age all at once. It’s amazing and disorienting and a beautiful thing.

12.  And now he’s graduating high school.

13.  I’m sure he’d add an “about damn time” here.

14.  Just kidding, the language is mine.

15.  The sentiment would surely be his though.

16.  This is where I admit I’m not that ‘I can’t let my baby go’ mom.

17.  At the risk of sounding coldhearted I’m ready to watch him fly.

18.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got plenty of those awww memories and I suspect they’ll amp up as he moves on to his next stage.

19.  But he’s grown(ish) and interesting and excited about diving into his own passion instead of being required to study everything for a high school diploma.

20.  I’m excited to see T lean into that.

21.  Someone remind me of this if I get all but my baaaaabbbbyyyyyy weird in the coming months, okay?

22.  We’ve reentered what I like to call Season Finale, High School Edition.

23.  The prom is this weekend, bless my whole entire world.

24.  The styles may change. The music and makeup too.

25.  But in the end it seems the hoopla surrounding getting dressed up for The Big Night is still intrinsically the same.

26.  Let us all take a moment to say God bless the high school teachers who live through this every spring for surely they will inherit…something.

27.  Personally I’d be hoping for a bottle of tequila.

28.  Pause here for the whole damn world to step away so as not to be struck by the lightning coming my way.

29.  Next month we head into final class activities.

30.  In our school this kicks off with May Day and its traditions.

31.  There’s also a class field trip — AKA experiential learning — which cues round one million of wardrobe discussion.

32.  If you’ve never experienced the particular joy of trying to dress a teenage girl for comfort while still meeting dress code…well then, consider yourself lucky.

33.  Plus there’s AP exams. Just. Bless.

34.  And let’s not forget graduation.

35.  I’ll know more about this one in a month or so. Let’s just say it looks intense.

36.  I’ve got the senior parent whiplash: I’m ready, I’m not ready, I’m so ready, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.

37.  Have I mentioned we have back-to-back high school students in this family?

38.  Which means after surviving this turmoil I have to turn around and do it all again next year.

39.  There isn’t enough sleep in the world to remedy this. Or chocolate. Or tequila. Or nachos.

40.  You get my drift. We’re going through a lot over here. Now send up a good thought for a safe prom weekend for those youngsters, please and thank you.