ย A baby crawled up to us at the library today, and I was shocked to see how tiny she was at 10 months old up next to my giant 13-month-old. It was at that exact moment that I first felt sad about my child’s constant growth instead of thrilled about it as I had been up to now. I also simultaneously realized why the moms with five-year-olds never leave me alone. They remember all too well what it was like to have the squishy-faced munchkin, and they want that time back! They aren’t as happy for me as I had imagined; okay, maybe there’s some happiness in there, but alongside their joy is perhaps a tiny bit of seething jealousy. When your hubby tells you the baby factory is closed, it can make for some mixed feelings.
Although part of me will be sad to lose my baby, I do love when the kids hit new milestones. Maybe it stems from my love of developmental psychology, which reminds me of a cartoon only one of you will like, but here you go anyway. Charlie took her first steps a few days ago! We had a room full of spectators for the big event, including Nate, the grandparents, and a few ladies who were at our house to evaluate Charlotte’s development. When she was five months old, I was worried about her delay in babbling, so my pediatrician suggested I take part in Massachusetts’ Early Intervention service. We’ve been in the program for six months and have had weekly in-home visits with an early childhood specialist. While I quickly figured out that everything was fine with Charlotte, it has been nice to talk to someone about her motor skills and budding vocabulary. The ladies came to decide whether she should continue to be in the program, and it was a fitting end that she decided to walk during the evaluation. She was as proud as we were.