Over 8 months ago, I wrote this post lamenting the time that was passing much too quickly. I remember, so vividly, wanting to hold on to those moments of Molly's infancy; knowing that in a quick blink of an eye, that special stage of life would be forever a memory.
Today, I have similar feelings that can only be explained in the same exact same words...
Time, please stand still.
I did, in fact, blink my eye and my tiny baby girl turned 9 months old on Christmas Day. That milestone makes her closer to toddlerhood than infancy. Toddlerhood. I don't really even like typing the word. As much as I love a wobbly, bobbly toddler and all the wonderfulness that stage of life brings, thinking about that stage of childhood means just that... my baby is becoming something other than a baby.
Time, please stand still.
In a quick matter of months, Molly has transformed into a bundle of energy, mobility, and opinions! She crawls, dances, pulls up to a standing position, talks, claps, and does her best to keep up with her older siblings. She has had 2 haircuts (and no longer allows me to keep headbands or bows in her hair!), has 5 teeth (with 3 more in the works), weighs about 17 pounds, and is ready to begin wearing 12 month clothing. Her fingers are her favorite "toy", but she is quite fond of baby dolls too.. particularly those that belong to her older sister! She wants to walk, feed herself, and be more independent... I can see it and feel it.
Time, please stand still.
As much as I will it not to be, life is still life. Busy, chaotic, often stressful. And so the struggle continues. To live in the moment, soaking up every bit of littleness in my sweet baby, while also juggling the ins and outs of daily life and raising two other small children. It's a balancing act. One that I have not yet mastered.
Time, please stand still.
But then there are the times when it is just me and Molly.... often in the wee hours of the night. Those are the times, exhausted though I am, that I remember to soak it up. When she pats my back as I hold her close or reaches up to touch my face as she nurses herself back to sleep... I force myself to focus on those tender moments. Because I know all too well that in another blink of an eye, these precious moments will, too, be a distant memory.
Time, please stand still.
And while I often lament the passing time, I am also grateful for the new and exciting things that her growth brings... fingers clasping mine as she learns to walk, the wonderful sound of my name from her lips, the tug at my feet as she looks up at me with eyes that say "I want you and only you."
I just wish it didn't go so fast. Oh, how I wish it didn't go so fast!
Time, please stand still.
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