My little baby is getting so big!

That's what I say whenever Ramona hits a new milestone. First I celebrate her achievement, and then I lament her growing up too fast. This week Ramona got two new teeth, bringing her to three. When she got her first one, I looked at Joe and did a pout face. "I can't believe she has a tooth already!" (This, after complaining about her teething forever.) That same day, Joe and Ramona stopped by my office during their walk, and under the horrible lighting of my office, I couldn't believe how full her hair looked. "She has so much hair now! She's getting too big!"
Because the first thing you think when you see this child is, "Whoa! Too much hair!" right?

I was even more irrational when she started sitting up by herself. The first night she sat in her bath without needing me to prop her up, I came out sighing, "She doesn't need me anymore." Joe helpfully pointed out that she couldn't run her own bath or get into and out of it by herself, or actually wash herself without me. He doesn't appreciate the drama I add to our lives.

But the fact is that Ramona is going to get bigger and need me less and less as she gets older. I was talking to my mom on Mother's Day and we were discussing the fact that my youngest sister got her learner's permit and that she is going to be a junior in high school this year. My mom started talking about how fast high school goes, because freshman year they are still your kids, as in they are home all the time and don't have too much of a life outside the family. But by the end of it, they have jobs and friends and are almost never home. But you get to watch them carve out their own life and become productive members of society. And it got me thinking of how it's exciting and rewarding to watch your children grow up and do things on their own, even if it's sometimes hard to let go. And if my mom can watch her kid drive away from her in a car, I guess I can let mine sit up by herself at bath time. And when you get down to it, we always need our moms. My baby may not need me to help her sit up anymore, but she'll always need my love and support to some degree. I just have to remember that when she hits the next milestone.