The number of times you hear/see/read parents say "Oh my gosh! I can't believe _____ is ____ already! It goes so fast!" or something similar, makes me never want to say such a thing. Yep. Kids grow up, that's what they do. Not that surprising.
But here's the thing. It really does go fast. Sometimes. Not fast in the way that if you're being honest with yourself, you can really say "I can't believe it!". But fast in the way that it is surprisingly surprising how much they change, or how quickly they seem to cruise past milestones that were most definitely far far in the future.
I am here to say pregnancy is not the same. At the very time when the baby is literally increasing in weight by about 3 1/2 billion times in just 9 months, I cannot believe how SLOW each new mile marker seems to mosey on up. It may have something to do with the fact that I have been basically pregnant, or recovering from pregnancy the entirety of these past four years, but sheesh. I am so emotionally and physically done, so ready to be holding this little girl. I have 6 more weeks to go.
Fast or slow, I am realizing too that many of the moments of Anna's childhood, and this new little gal's time inside me, go unrecorded and hence will not be around for them or me to look back on like I seem to think they will. While you're in a phase, everything feels like it will stick with you. I am with Anna so much, know her so well, of course I will always remember how she says "We love our chuther!" and likes squishy toast with normal butter. But then someone asks you when your kid started walking, or talking, or when they switched from two naps to one, and you realize the things that took up all the space in your brain for a time, have gone elsewhere.
Last night at a church activity, small talk required me to answer "So, have you guys been up to anything fun or exciting lately?". Pause. Trying to scroll back through all that's filed our days and pick out something nice and neat and exciting to mention, but nothing really came.
We do so much every day. There are so many moments I want to hold on to. And sometimes it's not terribly interesting or summarizabel I suppose. But I am going to try to start writing down just a bit more about what these phases we live in are like. While trying my best to not be the mom constantly taking pictures of every last thing her children ever do or seeing our lives as something needing to be photographed.
Practicing. Not going terribly well to be honest. At first, she wanted to do it at least 14 times a day. Now she still likes it, but is quite confident she already knows the best way to do things, and, we'll just say we're working hard on the grit/stick-to-it-ness/perseverance. In other words, on practicing longer than 1 minute per session.
Cousins are likely Anna's favorite thing in this world.
Followed by "Aviary Preschool", a weekly hour at the aviary where we learn about birds, sing, color, and dance. And wear our bead necklaces so she doesn't have to poke any holes in her clothes with the name badge. Some things matter.
As part of our home preschool (she started going to a program at the U this fall, but due to many reasons, she no longer attends and so we do our own little one just the two of us.) we work on painting and drawing. Below are her Hippos, from different perspectives.
I think most everyone in Utah will agree this has been one of the best falls in memory. We have been so happy to spend so much time in the mountains and at parks and on walks.
Aside from playing Cinderella many many times each day (every time we play, we go through and act out the whole story, costume changes included), Anna really really likes to fight bad guys. As long as they are pretend. Dresses double as awesome capes, if you didn't know.
