They Grow Up So Fast

"They grow up so fast." How many times have I heard a parent, grandparent, or other older relative or family friend say this? Truly, if I had a dime for every time I've heard that expression, Anna's college fund would be fully funded. I would not have expected to be the parent who says, "they grow up so fast." But, they do.

This week we passed April 15th - not just tax day, but also Anna's seventh month mark. Seven months. Anna barely resembles the tiny newborn that we brought home early last fall. Her head wobbled to & fro and her legs were so skinny that her socks would just slip off. We guarded her from the dog's curiousity & licks and took extra precautions to make sure that she was asleep on her back in her bassinette or crib.

Today Anna is a bright & curious 7 month old little girl. She has two pearly teeth and is enjoying exploring solid foods. She sits unsupported; plays with toys and babbles constantly. She seeks out the dog, fingers her claws, pulls on her ears, & giggles when she gets a lick in the face. She doesn't like to be rocked before bedtime anymore & falls asleep on her own. She sleeps on her back, her side, & her tummy. (Sometimes, I think she does jigs in her sleep, riverdancing from one end of the crib to the other.) Anna's once-skinny, little legs are no more. Today her legs puff out of her diaper on one end & stuff themselves into her socks on the other, resembling giant sausage links.

I acknowledge that this maturation & these strides toward independence are only the beginning. I know many of you have experienced all of this with your own children & grandchildren. Though, until it's your own "growing up too fast" or "growing like a weed" you don't really know just how amazing all those strides really are.

Around 3 am, in the quiet darkness between Friday night & Saturday morning, Anna awoke. She's typically sleeping through the night so this was not the norm. She cried out from her crib & I went to her. As I rocked her back to sleep, I realized she wasn't being the fidgety little girl that I'm accustomed to trying to rock. She was not anxious to be put down. Rather, she laid, her head nestled into my elbow, and let me rock her back to sleep. I sat with her for about half an hour, rocking her slowly, in the quiet darkness of her room. For 30 minutes, that tiny little baby was back. Well, except for the fact that she weighs 17 pounds, is 27 inches long & now takes at least two hands to hold!!