Growing Up

My baby girl is growing up. 

*sigh*

It seems like just yesterday when she was born...

A very busy baby who loved to snuggle up for naps with Jim,

 and play.

 Before long, she'd found her toes

 and she was much more interactive in her playtime with her daddy. 

 I remember Jim saying when she was little that he couldn't deny that she was his child...they looked so much alike!

 She was a very busy baby,

 with crazy hair!

 Soon, sitting up turned into rolling all over the livingroom,

 feeding herself,

 and then to crawling.

 Bathtime moved from the kitchen sink to her ducky tub.

One day (Fourth of July weekend 2009, as a matter of fact!), she decided it was time to start walking.

Along the way, her very distinct personality became more aparent!

 But she was still a sucker for naptime with Daddy.

 Her cousin (who is 6 months older) and she became best of friends.  It is fun to watch them go through the same phases, and to be able to swap clothes.

 She idolized Jim.  He had a special bond with her.  They spent a year at home together while he was on an experimental chemo and I worked.  Sometimes I kind of felt like the third wheel, but I wouldn't change that year for anything!

 Jim was responsible for her love of sunglasses.  I think she had three or four pairs!

 Then, all of a sudden, my baby started looking less and less like a baby, and more like a little girl.

 She was wanting more than bottles and snuggles.  She was wanting horsey rides

 and developing her own sense of style.

 But naptime with Daddy was still one of her favorite things.

 Before I knew it, she was talking and developing a passionate personality.

 We were a happy family!

Who aparently all liked the same hair style- ha!

 Her glee-filled giggles and smiles have always been contagious.

 She was just as comfortable all dolled up for church or mostly naked in the pink camo hat Jim got her.

 She started making friends.

 And trying out new shoe/hat combos.

 She and her cousing love playing together.

 There were the inevitable fits that come along with being a toddler.

 And the excitement as she got to experience new things.

 The baby toys that used to fascinate her turned into places to be silly and pose for the camera.

 The bigger she got, the more she liked to take care of her "babies", whether dolls or stuffed animals.

 The Christmas that she was two was so much fun!

 See what I meant about the babies?

 Her third birthday rolled around, and there was no denying that my little one was indeed growing up.

 And her personality was...ahem...growing as well!

No words needed for this face!

 

 The year she was three, she was quite proud of herself as she mastered the tricycle

AND started riding her bicycle with training wheels!

There's no getting around the fact that she's growing up!

 The baby pudge is all gone and she's really into princesses, babies, and art projects of all kinds.

 Our lives changed forever on January 25, 2011.

 We went through a rough adjusting period for a while. 

Our beautiful little girl misses her Daddy dreadfully, but that smile is still there.

 She's impressed me this year that she's three about how big and brave she's becoming.

 But some things never change...cuddling with her animals is still very important!

 So is making people smile at her fairy costume as she dances her way through WalMart.

 Bubbles are even more fun this year than they were last year.   
(For those of you who are wondering, yes, the colored bubbles really DO wash out of clothes!)

 And she and her buddy don't fit in the little sandbox as well as they used to.

 Her preschool teachers pretty much rule her world.  She looks forward to going there each weekday morning!

 This Easter, when I saw this picture, it hit me like a ton of bricks that my baby is

growing up.

 I love that visiting the cemetery for her is not a sad thing.  It's a place full of beautiful traditions, pretty flowers, and a place to visit Daddy's stone. She likes to step up on the base and rub the picture of his face and talk to him.

It gets me every time.

 I've really loved watching as she's become a confident, self-assured little person.

 Jim would be so proud of his little girl.

I tell her all the time how proud we both are.

 This year, she's decided that she doesn't need me quite so much when she's swimming.

 She loves story time at Papaw's library.

My baby is growing up.

*sigh*

I wouldn't have it any other way!