In the wink of an eye

My baby is growing up before my eyes. It is so amazing, and a little sad. I remember when she was the teeny baby we brought home from the hospital. She couldn't do a thing then, except cry, poop, nurse and sleep. She stared around once in a while when she was awake long enough.

Now she is starting to pull herself up from a sitting position. She really wants to walk. She loves it when we help her take small steps. She can't quite crawl yet, but she is almost there too. One of the nurses that sees her often thinks she might walk without even crawling. I didn't think so until today when I really payed attention to her walking attempts. Now I think she may just be right. Amazing.

Z is also starting to want to relax more in her crib, instead of in my arms. She has a stuffed frog that I started giving her as a sort of "transitional" object. I brought him with to my parent's house to have something in her "crib" that reminded her of home. While we were there she seemed to get attached to him (we call him Ringo), and so when we got home I decided to keep putting him in the crib with her. She likes to grab him and cuddle with him during the night and during naps. In fact, having him has made her naps significantly longer. Where she was sleeping about 40 to 50 minutes before she is now sleeping 1.5 to 2 hours! So now I can put her in her crib with Ringo when she is still fairly awake, and in minutes she is sound asleep with him in one arm or within close reach. It is sooooo sweet. It is also a little sad, because now there is something else comforting besides me or my breast. But, ah, she is growing. She definitely won't be my little baby forever.