All too soon...

...my daughter will no longer want to nurse for nourishment or comfort...
...carrying her will be replaced with running and exploring on her own...
...her gummy smile will be replaced by pearly whites...
...she'll be independently putting herself to sleep in her big girl bed...
...cuddles will be replaced with quick secretive hugs and kisses...
...she'll choose someone else over me, her mommy...
...entertainment will be found in something other than my attempt at goofy faces...
...back talking words will be coming from her adorably cooing lips...
...rules will be set, she'll say she hates us...
...she'll be too big for me to pick up and hold, my baby...

All too soon, my baby girl will be a big girl who needs her mommy less. It is beautiful, this circle of life. It is also heartbreaking to know a day will come when my baby will no longer be a baby.

For now, I linger in putting my sleeping baby down for bed. I hold her during a nap or two. I take in her sweet baby smell a little more. When she lifts her chubby little arms up to me, I smile and pick her up. I try to memorize each gummy smile and squeal from excitement.

All too soon, it all will be a memory that pictures reflect on. A time I refuse to have any regrets of not enjoying more of her during this "baby time". So when I am sporadic in posting, it is not because I have forgotten but because I choose to spend the time treasuring my daughter before she grows up all too soon...