Somewhere Between Baby and Big Girl

 

I swear she was just a baby.

And yes, I know every mom says that. But seriously… when did this happen?

When did the tiny baby who needed me for absolutely everything turn into this little girl standing beside the couch, grinning at me like she has somewhere important to be? 😂

Lately I’ve been noticing all the little ways Ariella is growing up.

She understands more. She wants to do more herself. Her personality keeps getting bigger. She has opinions. She has preferences. And she definitely has no problem letting us know about either one. 😂

And I love it.

But there’s also this little part of me that wants to scoop her up and say, Okay, that’s enough growing for now.

Because motherhood is kind of rude like that.

You’re so excited for the next thing. The first smile. Sitting up. Crawling. Walking. Talking. Becoming more independent.

And then they do it.

And suddenly you miss the version of them that couldn’t yet.

I don’t want to spend all of motherhood wishing for yesterday, though. Because this version of Ariella deserves to be soaked up too.

The goofy smiles.

The bare little feet.

The strawberry shirt.

The way she looks so proud of herself when she’s standing there like a big girl.

The personality that seems to get bigger every single day.

Someday I’ll look at this picture and think about how little she was here.

Which is funny, because right now all I can think is…

How did my baby get so big?

So today I’m just going to enjoy her exactly as she is.

My growing girl.

Still little.

Still my baby.

Just… a little less baby than yesterday. 🍓🤍