Growing Up

Do you ever stop and realize that you are like your parents now? In other words, you are the parent (if you have children of your own) and not the little kid anymore? Some of you may think I'm a little wacked out. Of course, we parents should all know this by now, right? What I mean is, I look at Elyssa and Natalie and think, "That use to be me!" I use to be their age living fancy-free. I had no cares in the world. I didn't worry about where my next meal would come from or where I would sleep. I was young and just having fun. My whole life was ahead of me.

I remember playing with matchbox cars in the dirt in the front of my parents house. I remember making forts in the woods behind their house. I remember playing cops and robbers with the guy across the street. We use to think it was so unfair that he would be the robber on a motorcycle racing through the trails we had made in the woods while my sister, brother and me would be cops chasing him on our little bicycles. We never caught him. Surprised?

Time is racing on, isn't it? I can only imagine what my parents felt when they were my age raising three kids. I wonder if they ever pondered back on the childhood of their parents and thought about what it must've been like for them. It's weird how we all start out as babies, then kids and then grow up only to get old. I was asking Mark tonight if he ever had thought about this and he started singing, "The Circle Of Life." I just shook my head and laughed. I'm too deep for my own good sometimes.

Anyway, I have looked at Elyssa lately and noticed her little baby legs turning into little girl legs. She is changing right before my eyes. She also says such "big-girl" things now. I see her older cousin, Meagan, in her.

And, now, I can finally get Natalie to sit on the potty for a little while. Soon, (hopefully) she will be potty-trained and she will no longer be considered the "baby." I'll just watch in amazement as she starts talking and feeding herself better and changing into a full-blown toddler.

Pretty soon the only baby in the house will be Victoria and I'm sure our time with her will fly by, too. I will cherish our "baby days" with her because I know unless God chooses otherwise, she will be our last little munchkin.

The time of childbearing years are most likely over and we will move into our next phase of life. Am I glad? Probably not. I guess having kids makes me feel younger than I am. I've enjoyed every pregnancy experience, except for the worry that came with Victoria's pregnancy. Having children has definitely made my life more complete. It's been a huge blessing. Some of you with teenagers are saying, "You just wait! You will eat those words when they turn 13!" I hope I don't eat those words no matter how many feminine napkins and tampons I have to buy, or how much zit medicine we might go through. Maybe the mood swings won't get to me too much and maybe the bickering will be to a minimum. I think Victoria will help keep Elyssa and Natalie straight and hopefully, she will be the one to remind me what a joy children are.

May I never really grow "old" and may my heart and mind stay as young as my girl's are now!

PS - I got a cute video of Natalie sitting on the potty today. I found a great bag that seems to keep her occupied. She loves putting things into it and taking them right back out. It's great when it takes so little to entertain them, isn't it?


PSS - Here is a video of Natalie doing some new things. She "winks" and has learned a few other things from her teachers at Mom's Day Out. She has a great golf swing and also does the "Chicken Dance."