a first haircut, a small shift in the way she speaks, communicates
more deliberate, maybe
a bit of confidence shining through, for sure
reminders to myself of the importance of the way I communicate with her
(thanks sweet Jenny for the inspiration)
I watch her being so brave
sometimes
I watch her staying in her comfort zone
often
either way it makes my heart sing
there's a sense of humor exploding and
she really likes doing the dishes
(I often have to go back through and take the still-crusty ones out of the dish rack,
smiling to myself as I do)
the other day a group of friends, 23 strong, took in a very enjoyable performance of Charlotte's Web
she was in the front with some buddies, I sat behind her, watching
as she laughed, as she put her hand over her mouth in that 'wow! did you see that?!' manner
hugged and touched and smiled at her friends
sat looking generally much older than I'm used to her appearing
oh, this girl
four-and-a-half is proving to be quite a pleasure
Love, love, this post Amanda. It is such a joy to watch our babies grow into this awesome beings isn't it? Today my Baby is 17 and we have been strolling down memory lane, it's gone by fast.
ReplyDeletehappy birthday to your boy, Tracey~
Deletebefore I know it, Claire's going to be in high school, isn't she? yikes.
Such a beautiful post, my eldest is 30 it is such amazing thing watching them grow and achieve some truly wonderful things. They grow so fast...
ReplyDeletedefinitely feeling that these days as I watch her and think about where we are now and about the baby she was not so long ago...
DeleteThey grow up so fast. I wish I had taken more time to enjoy toddlerhood. I was busy getting used to being a full blown mum.
ReplyDeleteit takes a lot of getting used to, doesn't it?! I am constantly stopping and reminding myself to (try to, anyway) keep things in perspective and go with the flow~
DeleteI remember four and half fondly, good times. Enjoy!
ReplyDeletethanks, Kim~ I am!
DeleteThey grow up fast but the grow slow while you're living day to day. Four is a wonderful age and I love how you're enjoying her!!
ReplyDeleteoh most certainly~ I like that saying 'the years are short but the days are long'. that's a good one.
DeleteI'm really, really liking four. it is of course not without it's challenges, but then again I (at just about 34) am not without mine as well ;)
:) beautiful quote, isn't it? glad it inspired you as well. i love this post. funny thing... i just posted a "similar" post about my oldest daughter turning eight.. similar because it was also focused on her and her changes... and it's called "this girl" yours is "she"... just thought that was cute... so far apart... and thinking in similar ways in the same time period and such :) your post is much more beautifully written than mine though... yours is poetic :) i LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteyes Jenny, it's sooooo good. and I find seeing it every day is grounding and helps me stay in a good frame of mind. usually. of course I know enough by now to know there's no 'perfect' and there's no 'always' in this mothering gig.
Deletegreat minds, yes? ;) well, thanks for the lovely compliment. poetic, huh? you're generous. xo
So sweet! I mostly adored 4.5. These girls are growing up. Also, Bea saw charlottes web last summer when she was Claire's age. It was an adorable production. Bea loved it --especially fern who sang 'keep on the sunny side'....
ReplyDeletethe production here was super sweet, too~ Fern was of course so lovable and all of the animals, played by people, were hilarious and there was much humor for the grown-ups~
Deletexo