Just Stay Little

When Grace was a tiny baby someone gave us an adorable Carter's onesie. It was from the "Just Stay Little" line and had cute little duckies on the front. It was 3-6 months and I distinctly remember holding it up and thinking she would never fit in it. I also remember when Grace started to outgrow her 0-3 month clothes. I thought, "no way!" They don't grow that fast! My husband asked how do you know when their clothes are too small and he found out one night when Grace couldn't stretch her legs out in her pajamas.

I always thought it was cliche for people to say to us, "Enjoy it now because they get big fast!" I also found myself wishing in those first few months that Grace would grow a little faster so she would sleep through the night, eat less frequently, and play by herself for longer. But as much as I wanted her to do these things, I kept reminding myself that these moments don't last forever. They need you so much when they're tiny and sometimes that's frustrating. I had these visions of what parenthood would be like and they really weren't meshing that first year. Where was our beloved story time? Where was tucking her in and saying "night night" as we quietly turned off the light. Instead we got lots of book eating or flipping of the pages so quickly a speed reader couldn't keep up and lots and lots of hysterics at bedtime. But times are changing quickly around here and I've learned to savor each day because the next one will bring something remarkably new and exciting.

People frequently say to us, "Isn't this the best age?" It is. At sixteen months, Grace never ceases to amaze us. But truthfully, I've thought every age was the best age. I remember trying to establish eye contact with her when she was really little, just to see her face light up. Now she smiles with such frequency, I forget how hard it was to get smile out of her. It seems like every day she lets us know just how much of a kid she is. Last night I was saying that Grace's new favorite word is "baaa" (as in the sheep says. . . ) We were talking about this and all of the sudden Grace yells "baaaa!!!!!" just to let us know--"Helloooo--I'm sitting right here and I can hear you." She thought she was the cat's pajamas when we all laughed really hard.

Each night at dinner Grace demands her fork. In fact, pretty much every meal now needs to involve a utensil. Yesterday she wanted to eat her sandwich with a fork. I tried to tell her no but you try telling her no! The moments are increasingly rare when she needs help eating because she's become such a pro. When did all of this happen? I honestly don't remember.

The kid takes in more than you know. We play a game of honking each other's noses. We press on her nose and yell "honk!" She loves it. But she also knows that geese say honk. So when we read a book that has a goose in it, she presses her nose. It's hilarious.

Perhaps the area where Grace is really showing her age is bedtime. At 6:30 (practically on the nose), she takes us by the hand and leads us to the stairs. When she gets upstairs, she runs into the bathroom knowing it's bathtime. We now have a story time routine down (which is pretty new) and she loves to pick out her favorite book to read. This week it's Byron Barton's "My Car." She snuggles in our lap and loves to read. She also loves "The Very Quiet Cricket"--for some reason that luna moth is hilarious. . . When she's ready for the crib she points to it. You put her down and pull a blanket up and she curls up with her blankie and baby doll. No screaming, no tears, no trying to exit hoping to not step on a squeaky floorboard or hoping and praying the screaming will end quickly. She goes down peacefully, quietly. Our girl is getting big.

So as much as I want Grace to stay little, each day is truly amazing. From her signing to turn the music on so she can dance with daddy (only daddy I might add), to laughing at our little jokes, to a nighttime routine I dreamed of having with our child, each day is the best. Just the best.