Monday, February 6, 2012

Letting them grow.

When Ian and Aiden were babies, I couldn't wait to watch them grow. I was always seeing what they could do. Could they sit up yet? Could they crawl? Were they ready to eat baby food? I think it was a combination of that and the fact that they always had each other to "compete" with so they did everything a bit earlier than normal. They were walking very well before their first birthdays.

But before I knew it, they were growing up too fast. I would lay in bed with Ian at night and just look at him in disbelief. How did he get this big? I promised myself that I wouldn't rush him again. And for the most part, I haven't. He's done everything in his own time. He got big all on his own, he didn't need me pushing him.

And then my little sweet pie was born.

Can I start by saying that Vanessa-Kate is the sweetest baby in the world. I know, I'm bias and all, but she really is outrageously sweet. She hardly fusses, she sleeps all night long, and she has a very easy going aura. And her smile can light up a room. She is all things precious and sweet. I never dreamed I would have a baby like her. From the moment that she was born, she was my sweetheart.

With Vanessa-Kate, I babied her. I didn't care, and still don't care, how long she takes to get big. She's my baby...maybe my last baby, and I'd like to enjoy watching her grow. It wasn't until last month that I realized that I was holding her back. I never even let her try. I didn't know if she could sit up, or if she liked to roll over a lot or anything because I held her all of the time. I didn't know if she liked baby food or soft foods because I never let her have anything but breastmilk.

It turns out, she can do all of those things. One day I decided to see if she could sit up on her own, and by the next day she was doing it. I let her have a gerber puff and not only did she chew it properly, but she had such fine motor skills that she could pick them off the counter one by one. I couldn't believe it. My tiny baby could do all of these wonderful things and I didn't even know it. She must have been so relieved!

I feel like I'm starting to find a balance between the two worlds or pushing them, and babying them. You've got to let them grow at their pace...but you can't hold them back so that they will be babies for longer. Sometimes I wish that they could stay little for longer, but there is no greater joy than watching them grow up. It's amazing to see this wonderful little person in front of you and think "Wow, I did that".


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