Like a Big Girl

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that this tiny baby needed me for every single thing. It's a mixed bag, being a mom. While I don't miss the nights of nursing every two hours, and the very early new days of Raegan only falling asleep when she was in contact with my body, I do miss that tiny baby.

And my daughter is most definitely NOT! A! BABY! anymore. The mantra of this spring has been, "I do it like a big girl." It's like as soon as we introduced her to the concept of a "big girl bed" Raegan realized that there was a whole wide world of ways to be a big girl out there. Our daycare provider said that Raegan really doesn't want to sit in the booster at the lunch table anymore (although Angela does insist on it so Raegan can reach her plate). And at home being a big girl is definitely a big deal. She doesn't ever want a sippy cup anymore (which I still give her if she wants a drink out in the living room). We've done away with the seat for the bath tub. She tries to refuse her potty seat on the toilet, although in the interest of keeping our bathroom somewhat clean, we still insist on that one. She begs to "walk like a big girl" (which means not holding my hand) in the store, and ZOMG! how dare I suggest that she has to hold my hand when we walk in the parking lot. Sometimes it's frustrating, because she wants things she just can't have yet (like walking independently in the parking lot), but it is fun to watch her turn into her own person.

Every year I teach I come across a handful of children who are not allowed to have that independence. I've had students who haven't known how to put their own socks and shoes on, or are entirely incapable of pouring their own milk. I've always marveled at that, because why would you want to have a baby forever? I loved Raegan's infant days: the snuggling, the nursing, the pulling her into bed at 5 a.m. to get another hour of sleep. But I love this little person in my life now. She has opinions, and carries on conversations, and she is her own person. Sometimes we have to reign her in a bit, because she wants more than she is capable of, but I know eventually she'll get to the place where she can do all those things.

I'm so excited to see what comes next!