The Adventures of Growing Up

Watching a baby grow into a toddler can be hard on the soul.

They want to do everything on their own, and after your offers of help get "no!" so many times, you learn to sit back and watch. Watch her climb up and down the ladder to the slide ten times. Sit at the top looking down at the ground below, which must seem so far down to your tiny babe. You hesitantly offer to help again, and again are told "no!". She wants to do it on her own, and you know she can. She sits at the top and begins to count..

 "One!"

 "Two!"

"Go!!"

And she flies down the slide.

 With wild abandon she slides down over and over again, going faster every time until she's not even counting anymore. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Just a girl with wind in her hair, and the sun on her back. A girl who's figuring out more and more every day that she can do more without your help than ever before. She may still need your help down that last porch step, or with reading her favorite bedtime story, but one day she'll be doing that on her own too.

It's hard for me to imagine that 18 and a half months ago she needed me for absolutely everything. We've always answered every cry as soon as we've heard it, from the first day she was here. And still, we have this amazing, wild girl who wants to do everything she can by herself.

 Every day she'll need me less and less for the simplest of things in our lives, and it's something I'm learning to accept with each one of those passing days. Watching her grow has been completely indescribable.. Knowing that every new word she learns is something we've taught her. Hearing her say "love you" and running up to us for hugs out of the blue. She insists on holding our hands when we're out together, both of them, walking in-between us and linking us all together. Every day she that she shows us she can do something on her own is another day she shows us what a compassionate, sweet, and loving person we are raising. This unbreakable and irreplaceable relationship we share with her every day means she will always need us. Even when she can tie her own shoes. 

It's inevitable that she's going to grow up. We can't stop time, and with every passing moment I'm more proud of this little life. She may be growing up quicker than I ever thought possible, as fast as everyone said she would, but every day I'm nothing but proud and patient. Excited for our family to grow and our future together, but doing nothing but enjoying what we have right now. We'll never have these first moments again with her. Once they're gone, they're gone forever and another day that passes is one we will never get back. Every first, every moment, is as precious as it is bittersweet.

Watching our baby that only once needed mama and nothing more grow into a person is one of the most surprising, slightly terrifying and crazy adventures I could have ever imagined. I don't think there's anything as fulfilling in this entire world.