Our baby---a big girl...

Here I am reporting on some more of "the things they never tell you about parenting." I'd like to meet "They" and give them a piece of my mind, but that's another subject for another day. Perhaps I'll write a book. Anyway, I've gotten used to the "Experienced Mother" telling me to enjoy these moments because they go so fast. This mother then proceeds to tell me stories of when her babies where young and then continues to share how they are now grown and rotten. I usually nod my head and say "yeah, I'm enjoying them" or something else nice and then try to find a way to change the subject. After all, I AM enjoying every moment and I stopped reading "What to Expect in your 1st year" in month 5...because really, the only thing that reading that book does is give you anxiety about how your child is not developing like a text book says she should.

But then these past 7 days happened...and I suddenly found myself on the other side of the Mom category. The one that finds Mom's everywhere saying, "What happened to my baby!?" So now I have a word to say to those "Experienced Moms"...You didn't warn me about the flood of emotions that I was going to experience! You didn't warn me about the shock and awe and pride and joy and remorse and sadness that can be felt all at the same time! You simply said "Enjoy this time!" Grrr... :-) I'm mostly kidding. But I have found that this past week has catapulted Kaylee into a world of "Pre-Toddlerness" that I don't think I was ready for.

#1. Scooting - Apparently this is her main mode of transportation around the house these days. Not a standard baby crawl, more of an army crawl conducted by a soldier that has lost his right leg to a war. After getting up on all fours, Kaylee then plops down and continues to one of her legs (either one) behind the rest of her as she scoots along the floor. So when people ask if she's crawling, I say no. I guess I could start saying "kind of."

#2 Self-feeding - Kaylee started finger foods recently. I find this to be the most entertaining time of my day. There are no words to describe it...so here you go:

#3 The Stroller - This is the kicker for me. This is the event that made me realize that I have a "pre-toddler" as THEY like to call it. Kaylee has been sitting up on her own a lot more lately. Riding in shopping carts has now replaced the carseat coming with us wherever we go. So...I figured that if she can go shopping in a cart, then she can go for a walk in her stroller! We tried it last night...and it went great! Now, I'm sure that most of you "Experienced Moms" are smiling sweetly at my little discoveries, but as a first-time mom, all of these things are brand new to me! So here is my BIG GIRL...in her BIG GIRL outfit...with her BIG GIRL smiles.



Conclusion: My baby is growing up fast indeed...and the little girl in her is starting to emerge. It's bitter sweet. I'm THRILLED at the new stages and can't believe they really DID come so fast. Sigh...I guess this is when people start teasing you about having another one... HA! NO! For anyone who was thinking about it...NO...we are not there. :-)