As I sat and folded the small onesies and baby booties to box up and put away, I felt a little sad because my daughter was growing up. My entire life, I longed for the days when I could snuggle a newborn, take in that intoxicating newborn smell, and told myself I wished they would stay babies forever.
I am only two years into this journey, but I am trying my best to start embracing the milestones instead of mourning them.
As my daughter’s speech has improved, I have watched some of her words evolve and change. Months ago, she pronounced the letter W like “dub dub” and now it has morphed into sounding more like “double.” While I am slightly saddened that I only have videos now of her cute “dub dub,” there is also great satisfaction and joy in hearing her sweet voice say, “Thank you, mama,” multiple times a day.
She’s becoming fiercely independent and wants to do things herself. She finds joy in picking up her toys (okay, that part is awesome as I sit back and just watch) and wants to walk up and down the stairs on her own. But as much as I love seeing her grow up, I am glad it isn’t too fast because I still do love that even as she wants to walk solo, sometimes I still hear “mama’s hand” as I embrace her small hand in mine.
She’s trying to figure out the world and so now, every few minutes I hear, “What’s that?” when she sees or hears something new. It’s been fun to see her figure things out like how to open lids or move toys that are in her way. Her little wheels are turning and I try to soak it all up since I know it won’t last forever.
While I will always be a fan of newborn baby snuggles, I have learned that watching her grow up is more exciting than I expected. I am embracing the new milestones that are yet to come (but the old baby videos might get played every once in a while).
