Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Growing Too Fast



Every parent laments how quickly their children grow. They grow too fast is the refrain that escapes mother's lips in conversations with each other almost daily.  The conversation is old.  It's constant.  But it's true.

Little Elisabeth is not so little anymore.  She, like the older two, has turned into a chatterbox but, even more vexing than that, is she is now completely and totally independent. Her favorite phrase is, "No!  I do it 'self!"  In Elisabeth's world there is nothing to be done that she can not do on her own.

An example.

Her car seat, a highly elevated Britax Marathon, sits high above her thirty-six inch frame.  Her life would be much simpler if she allowed an adult to pick her up and put her in the seat.  

But no.  That is not to be.

You see, Elisabeth is physically able to get up in her seat on her own even though it takes a few attempts, extra time and extra patience on my part.  But she can do it and she knows she can do it so she will do it.

Given that Baby Elisabeth is probably our last baby I think I feel her independence and growing up more acutely than I did the others.  I realize that this fiercely independent stage of hers is probably just that: a stage and soon she'll be riding a two-wheeler and reading The Secret Garden.  

So, please, forgive me the cliche, but she's growing up too fast!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All the grandchildren are.

Anonymous said...

tell me about it! it's painful! (both the growing and the carseat independence...)

Unknown said...

Okay, what a coincidence this is. Must be the fact that they are girls and born right about the very same time (doubt it, but ya never know) because Maia is dealin with the EXACT same thing. Same car seat even! It started about a week ago and she insists that she gets up in her seat all by herself every time. If we even attempt to put her in it ourselves a crying rage begins. Oh what a fun journey this is! Girls and boys are sooooo different!