Too quickly.
Ok, so he hit a lot of baby milestones "early".
He rolled over, pulled himself up, cruised along furniture, etc...and we were told by many "oh, you'll have a 9 month walker!"..."he'll be walking in no time!"..."better watch out, he'll be an early walker!"...
To which I politely smiled, chuckled & responded with something like "we'll see..."(what are you supposed to say, exactly?)
But inside I was not smiling and chuckling.
The thought of an "early walker" sounded terrifying and somehow unfair.
As if their predictions really meant anything and if they came true, I would be pushed over the edge of babyhood into the trecherous canyon of toddlerland at an alarming rate--a timeline prediction that would take precious moments away from me and turn my life upside down...before it was supposed to be turned upside down. And, really--he would learn to walk sometime, no need to rush it, right?
Well, my friends--let me tell you.
Each one of those propurters of baby progress theories was WRONG.
9 months came and passed, then 10 months, then 11.
During this time, Mr. H suggested a toy to encourage his walking skills--I strongly suggested we enjoy the non-walking baby while we can...so we held off on any purchases.
12 months, 13 months...
...and here we are, just days before the 14 month mark (4 to be exact)...and we are on the cusp.
The cusp of a New Life.
A new life for J as a Toddler & a new life for me as Mama-of-a-Toddler.
For him it is a new dawn in toddlerville, an amazing adventure in mobility, an added dimension to freedom, independence, and free will.
For me it is the sunset on babyland, a crazy adventure in chasing, an added dimension to watching, preventing, and discipline.
I appreciate for him the excitement an thrill--I can see it in the bright of his blue eyes and gleam of his smile every time he takes a few steps with those chubby legs and square feet--he is absolutely ecstatic about his new (and still-acquiring) skill.
But I also feel for myself a tinge of sadness, a sense of 'losing my baby'--much more so than I even felt on his birthday. For babies this is like...the milestone of milestones, right?? It's HUGE. And I can't believe it.
Our lives as parents are quickly changing, and the world is becoming more accessible to the most darling redhead on the planet...as he takes one step at a time, taking us from point A to point B.
Wanna meet us there?
2 comments:
it is difficult to swallow at first...but i also have to say that having a child who can walk herself everywhere, tell me what she wants, get herself a drink if she wants one, use the toilet, etc is a beautiful thing. so much so, in fact, that i'm terrified of having a baby again who is TOTALLY dependent on me.
looks like our emotions are cyclical!
I totally get your roller coaster of emotions. I got off that ride a looong time ago, only to be scooped back up with the surprise arrival of Will. Now that he is walking...er, running...everywhere and I know my 'rollercoaster' days are over (well, that rollercoaster - there's still the teenager one that I am currently standing in line for) - I do find myself wanting that 'baby' stage back. But not that much.
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