From the featured blog, The Unexpected Army Life
“Enjoy it while it lasts, your kids will grow up way too fast.”
“Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.”
Clichés, right? But you know the thing about clichés? They’re clichés for a reason; they’re almost always true. For me, these ones couldn’t be more so.
My nine-month old has been going through unbelievable changes at warp speed (and without warning).
Last week, my father-in-law asked me when I thought Cookie would hold her own bottle. “Probably not until she goes to college,” I sarcastically replied. Well, she showed me. She was holding her bottle the next day and has been ever since.
And most recently, over the course of two days she went from nothing to crawling to cruising and pulling herself up.
My child is seriously growing up too fast for me. And I don’t mean too fast in the nostalgic way either. Yes, it makes me sad sometimes that my tiny snuggly newborn has become a tall, squirmy pre-toddler. But I mean, she is growing up so fast that I literally cannot keep up with her. She is all over the place, and I am finding myself struggling to catch my breath, let alone anticipate her next death defying move. I am ashamed to admit it, but she is now outsmarting me.
And mentally, I get this. I really do. Yet, I haven’t been able to make the adjustments in my routine and behavior necessary to accommodate the new needs of my little daredevil.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By this definition, I am certifiable.
On Tuesday evening, Cookie crawled off like a woman on a mission. She made a bee-line straight for the T.V. console and as soon as she got there yanked open the cabinet door…and proceeded to smash it right into her mouth. This happened all before my eyes, and you better believe I felt like Mother-of-the-Year.
You would have thought I would have learned my lesson to keep her on a tight rope (figuratively speaking, of course) or at least have gone out and bought her a bubble suit. Instead, the very next evening, I decided to show her Daddy her brand new trick of walking while only holding onto one of my hands. Two steps and she went careening into a big, fat face plant. Have I mentioned that I am now a finalist for Mother-of-the-Year?
The learning curve when you’re a new mom is steep. But it is baptism by fire, so you get the hang of being a mom really quick. For me, the learning curve when having a pre-toddler is steeper. And as an added bonus, it is more damaging to my mommy-steem. At least in the beginning, I didn’t expect myself to know what I was doing. Now after nine` months, I feel like I should know better.
But it’s only a matter of time before I get my groove back. This too shall pass. But, hopefully this time doesn’t pass too quickly. I don’t think I can handle this kid growing up any faster than she already is.
“My child is seriously growing up too fast for me.”
