Monday, July 14, 2008

Onward and Upward

Everyone will tell you that “kids grow up so fast – you’ll see it happen overnight”. I always thought they meant physically. And while Coco is growing like a weed physically, she is mentally doing hot laps. Last night, as I went to bed, I turned to my husband and said “Ryan, she just grew up in front of our eyes this weekend”.

Not grown up as in wearing-makeup-singing-hanna-montana-and-dating-boys grown up obviously. But she learned so many things in one weekend – without us even trying to ‘teach’ them to her that I was just amazed. Of course this is God’s plan, Darwinism, whatever you want to call it. Kids are “designed” to learn quickly. But I had never experienced it firsthand before. And from what I’m told even moms who have been through it before forget the details and are equally amazed the 5th time around as the 1st.

Just the highlights of what she accomplished this weekend:

  • Learned to say “up” (which comes out "uf")
  • Learned to say “more” (which comes out "muh")
  • Learned to say “eye” (pretty darn spot on!)
  • Learned to say “Elmo” (which comes out Eh-mo)
  • Learned "what an owl says" (who who who)
  • Learned to say "out" while pointing to the deck doors when she wants "recess"
  • Learned where her head is and how to pat it when you ask her
  • Same with her tummy although its still hit or miss
  • Learned to take her finger and point to her temple when you ask her where her eye is
  • Points to (ok *IN*) my eye and says “eye”
  • Learned how to move the baby gate aside that leads upstairs to climb around it
  • Learned to walk to the edge of each flagstone in the backyard path and then step over the space between to get to the next one
  • Learned how to use a straw
  • Learned how to “baby run” (she runs for a bit and then either comes to a dead stop or plops down)
  • Started blowing on her dinner bites before eating them (after watching mommy do that)
  • Decided it would be nice to climb on EVERYTHING
  • Stopped taking her very last bottle – her bedtime bottle

I realize that mostly, these are by no means milestones. But to achieve so many accomplishments in three short days just rattles my brain. I’m lucky if I can remember what I wanted from the store by the time I get there. I can’t imagine learning new things hour after hour, all day, everyday.

Apart from being amazed, I’m a little saddened. The finality of no more bottles being the thing that hit the hardest. My baby is not a baby anymore. I have no baby. I now have an adorable toddler in her place. And while I’m enjoying everything she’s becoming and delighting in all her discoveries, I’m still a little sad that my baby is gone - we’ll never pass that way again. At least not with Cora. And of course that is the way it is supposed to be. Onward and Upward. Just let mom stop for a sigh and a tear every once in a while along the way.

1 comment:

Our Family said...

Wow!!! Talk about a busy weekend for little Cora! Isn't it cool to see them doing so many things so quickly - and sad too that they aren't our little babies anymore. I can totally relate to you!