Everyone keeps telling me: “Enjoy them while they’re little. They grow so fast!” I do. I enjoy my daughters. I cuddle with them. I get down on the floor and play. I tickle. I dance to kids music that I had never heard 2 years ago. I sing the songs, too. I laugh at shadows and bubbles. I know they will only be little for a short time and I know they will grow. I just didn’t realize how amazing it would be to actually SEE THEM GROW. Like, actually see the growth right in front of me.
There have been episodes in Coco’s life that show she has grown. Obvious episodes like when she learned to crawl, then walk. When she got down from her crib and transitioned to a toddler bed. When we started potty training and wore panties for the first time. I have been proud of her for every of them, and when they happen I have celebrated with her and my hubby. It is obvious she is growing and everyone around her cheers and celebrates.
There are other moments that only I have noticed, and these are the episodes that have stopped me cold and made me observe and marvel on how she is growing right in front of my eyes.They are moments that only me as a mother identifies and treausres. Last week there were like a million of them. I swear she grew up last week more than she had in the last few months.
She said her first 2 word “sentences”. They were “Bye Wendy”, I know Wendy is big as a peackock right now. She also said “More pio” (More chicken) when we were eating nuggets.
I had to blow dry her hair for the first time. It’s getting cold at night and I don’t want her to go to sleep with wet hair so I blow dried it. I had been looking forward to this one. It was like connecting with her in a girly way and this is something I have always looked forward to… I don’t have many girly memories with my mom, I was too little to do girly things before she passed, so doing girly things with my daughters will always be extra special.
She read to me! No, she didn’t just make animal noises with the animal book. She read the story. She went through one of of the books we read at bedtime, and said a “word” in the story for each of the pages. She said them with the same tone of voice we use when we read to her. It melted my heart.
She put on her own oils. We use essential oils all the time. ALL the time. We wear them on the bottom of our feet when we wake up, before naps, on the wrists and back of neck to help be in a better mood, just to name a few. Last week after putting on her diaper before bed, I got the roller bottle out like I usually do. She took it from my hand, and started putting it on the bottom of her feet. This girl knows her stuff. =)
She ate a whole hamburger. Ok, we did baby led weaing, so this shouldn’t be a surprise but it is. She has a lazy bite and has never been able to bite into a sandwich, pizza, etc. We had always cut those in bite size pieces. Well, last week we bought her a burger. It was a a small kid’s meal burger. I was about to give her just the meat in small pieces then thought let’s try it. What do you know, the 19 month old finished the whole thing. Pickles, onions and all.
She learned how to play hide and seek. I just love playing with her, any game. Last week we played hide and seek and she actually understood the game. Ok she still made noise and didn’t hide without being obvious, but she would go to a corner and “count” while I would hide.
My God, I’m getting sentimental over a Burger King kid’s meal! I don’t even want to know how I’ll react to the first day of school, graduation, first date, or wedding!!!!
They grow SO fast. Yes they do. It’s hard to see them grow and realize they won’t be little forever. But it’s the BEST THING in the world to experience it first hand by being there when they do.
life ever since 