Growing up

Lately Sweet'ums has been being "Little Mommy". She wants to do everything I do and if she can't just do it, then she at least wants to help. She closes the refrigerator door for me. She finds her shoes when she thinks we're going to be going out. Just yesterday her daddy was making his wonderful meatloaf and when he turned around, Sweet'ums was standing behind him with my huge oven mitt on her little hand, preparing to open the oven door for him. She brushes her teeth with me every night, which is quickly becoming a favorite routine for me. She even reverses our roles sometimes, attempting to potty train me and brushing my hair in the evenings.

Every day passes so quickly. Milestones fly by so fast that by the time we've grown used to one, yet another new skill has astounded us. But then, one day, we woke up and realized that our little one isn't "just" a baby anymore, or even "just" a toddler, but a walking, talking, emotional little person. A little adult, I sometimes think.

And now, there's so much depth to her. She's so far beyond the age where she exists to eat, sleep, repeat. She's past that age where I'm trying to puzzle out what each cry means, whether she's hungry or thirsty or hot or dirty or sleepy. Now, she tells me. And when she cries, it's because she's hurting, or confused, or scared. She's gone through the phases--cuddling because she's little, cuddling because she's afraid to be apart from me, not cuddling because she's independent--and we've come full circle. We cuddle because she's a girl, because she's emotional, because the world is a huge place and she gets overwhelmed and she's just trying so hard that it breaks her heart to think she messed up somehow. Now she cuddles me when I'm upset, or when I'm insecure, or when I'm scared. I think sometimes she knows me better than I know myself, and she reminds me every day just how many things can be fixed with just a simple hug.

She makes me think so often of that song, "She's Always A Woman To Me". She's got so much going on in her little head, one minute she's as happy as a girl can be and the next she's throwing a tantrum for no good reason. She's got likes and dislikes beyond food and colors and tv shows--for example, she HATES having ice in her sippy cup. She'll shake her sippy to check for ice each time we give it to her, and if she thinks there's ice in it she'll pitch a fit. But as frustrating as she can be, every day is exhilarating. There's always new words, new skills, new interests.

And when I find myself overwhelmed with how fast my baby's growing, she's there waiting for me with a hug...

...because growing up is hard for mommies, too.

I took this picture earlier this week when we were trying on her ladybug Halloween costume. She loves wearing it and played in it for hours.