A little less baby

Day Sixty-eight: There was a moment today when I felt strongly that my baby is getting older, that she has reached a new stage. This is exciting because she is learning and developing as she should be. However, the thought made me sad for a moment. The beginning of a new stage means that end of an old one. That is what I felt today. I felt that we lost a little bit of baby today.

It has been the first time I have felt like I was physically seeing her grow up. I'm sure I'll feel this way again numerous times, but the feeling itself I don't like so much. Bittersweet may be be the closest description, but mostly sweet just a tiny touch of bitter.

This week Ariel proved that she understands a very large percentage of verbal communication and enough about communication to respond in some suitable way whether by action or sound. Not always necessarily expressing agreement, but at least response. She's also getting very confident on her feet. She's been walking for 2 1/2 months or so and is finally starting to seem comfortable with it on most terrains. She walks on sand, on hills, on grass, on gravel, she climbs stairs and "slides" down them.

Thank you, God, for Ariel's healthy development and growth. Thank you for her cleverness. Thank you for her spunk. Thank you for her assertiveness. Thank you for her curiosity. Thank you for letting me be so involved in all these aspects of her life, a witness to it all. Please protect her. Please mold her in Your image.



What's this about? I decided on my birthday to make a commitment to being intentionally thankful. I challenged myself to post one thing I am thankful for everyday this year.