Sunday, March 16, 2008

The Switch

Spring is my birth season. It brought my own birth and the birth of me, as a mother. With the shrill cry of my baby's first breath, I became a mom, got the laminated card and pre-paid my dues into the mommy club. It all started in the Spring.

I remember when McRae's first birthday arrived, just finding out I was pregnant with his brother, buying our first house and trying to take it all in. It was a lot to absorb, all in a month's time.

So I decided from then on, no more big events, birthdays or purchases were to take place around this time. It was already full. No more Spring babies, no more speeding tickets either, no more home buying (I barely missed this one with the purchase of our second home taking place in June)! No more!

My daughter has a different agenda than me though.

Yes, she was born dutifully in the Fall, like I had hoped. And the mere fact that she was a girl baby was also a sure sign that the universe was starting, finally, to throw me a bone.

But apparently she missed the part about not having any monumental changes take place at this time of year because seemingly overnight, she has stopped being a toddler and turned into a little girl.

I don't know why I didn't see the warning signs; the independent teeth brushing, the requests for a certain type of cereal in the morning, the insistence on privacy in the bathroom (although we all know that she has no modesty when she's finished).

Almost overnight she has been replaced by a little girl who does none of the things her toddler self did, at least not in the same way.

Little did I know that there would be a whole laundry list of new behaviors that were specific to little girls and not toddlers. Little did I know . . .

Little girls will giggle in their room with the door closed and yell, "No boys allowed!" Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will stand in front of the mirror for several minutes brushing her hair to make it just right. Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will walk across street to get the mail all by herself, looking both ways for a good five minutes to make sure there are no cars zooming up the cul-de-sac. Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will write their full name, making no mistakes and have all the letters facing the same way. Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will practice addition on their fingers. Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will play Candyland without getting mad about not making it to Lollipop Forest first. Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will also tuck in all her babies before herself at bedtime, paint her own fingernails with Hello Kitty sparkly fingernail polish, ride a bike with training wheels, climb up and down the bunk bed without assistance because, "Mommy, I am a big girl." Toddlers don't do that.

Little girls will give the dog a biscuit after telling him to "sit," draw all the people in her family, stand up for herself, and drink ginger ale.

The older I get, the more I wish time would just slow down. Not for me, but for my kids. Everything seems like it is happening so fast in their lives. This one is entering adolescence, that one is starting another baseball season and this one can almost swim without help in the pool.

Toddlers are being switched into little girls before my eyes!

July, 2006

Oh where, oh where did this toddler go? Oh where, oh where could she be?

20 comments:

Family Adventure said...

Awww....she's adorable, Carrie. But yes, definitely growing up too fast!!

Heidi

flutter said...

Time just flies. oof.

Mel said...

I hear you, Carrie. I hear you. My firstborn baby child is about to turn fourteen.

Yeah. Fourteen. My heart, she is breaking.

But what a fun trip it is, right?

LindaJ said...

After our conversation yesterday I have a post waiting very close to this one..Great minds think alike.

our little kaite-bug is growing up...sniff.

Anonymous said...

WE have been noticing that transition, too. Sniff, indeed. And oh, do I remember those days with you!

But look how things turn out... Our Katie J. has such a good mommy, who will LET her grow & spread her wings... because SHE did, too. We are so impressed & proud...of all of you. And I love all of the spring happenings.

mom

Girlplustwo said...

oh babe. what a lovely post. i was happy to know i still had toddler left for a little while, the candyland losing thing gets her every single time.

Cynthia said...

I know what you mean...My Little Miss Peach won't stop growing. She's a little girl, how did that happen?

Kristin said...

It's a combo of awesome and suckage...

Anonymous said...

How bittersweet. So exciting for you to watch her "grow up" before your eyes, but I'm sure you miss that "toddler" who depended on you. Such a great, sweet post!

Anonymous said...

Great post, Carrie! I know just what you mean!! My "baby" will be 13 in just six, short days. I took her to get her cartlige pierced today. She's not a baby anymore... :-(

Becky at lifeoutoffocus said...

omg how i ever can relate.

Kendra said...

I was just telling my mom the other day that I don't know where the time goes. It seems like my daughter went for a baby to a little lady over night.

Time sure does fly by ~ and it goes way too fast.

Shania said...

My SweetieDarling is 18 YEARS (not months) old in a few weeks. I'm gonna toddle off and flag down the geezer bus now.

Anonymous said...

This brought sweet tears to my eyes... my toddler baby now calls me Ma... not mama anymore... The quick slide to girl hood has begun... sniff...

Anonymous said...

This was beautiful. She is just too adorable.. and I can't agree more, it goes too quickly.

OHmommy said...

Carrie,

That was beauitful. It is amazing to have boys AND girls to live the differences. Your post captured that perfectly.

Warmly,
OHmommy

Unknown said...

That was so precious, it actually brought a tear to my eye and made yearn for the little girl years, but at the same time yearn for time to stop my two year old girls from growing! Very sweet words for a mommy of girls, thank you :)

Pendullum said...

"is this the little girl I carried?' Sunrise Sunset...

It does truly fly...
And you should print this out for your daughter for, well, when, a long, long, way down the road, when your wee daughter, becomes a young adult....

Anonymous said...

My daughter has been calling us "Mom and Dad" rather than "Mommy and Daddy," and it's breaking my heart. Slow down, kids!

Ann(ie) said...

This is soooooooo sweet. Makes me cry. My baby is a full blown toddler who babbles and is in to everything. *sigh* When did this happen?????