So Many Milestones, So Little Time to Blog About It

The summer is flying by and I have yet to accomplish even half of what I set out to do. Layla on the other hand, has been very busy knocking things off of her developmental milestone list. In the last couple of months she has started crawling and eating table food, cut her first tooth, pulling up and walking with help and she said her first word. All of these things seem to happen in spurts but they are coming closer together. It has been quite an adventure for Matthew and I as each new milestone means changes for us...some more welcome than others.

Once Layla became mobile we ran right out to buy baby-proofing supplies to outfit our hazard filled house so that she would be safe. Lesson learned: there is NO SUCH THING as "safe" when it comes to a crawling baby. Gone are the days when we put Layla down and she stayed in one place or even the same general area. If I turn away for a second, she is across the room. Matt and I are vigilant parents and make it a point to be very present when dealing with our child so she never gets far and has not suffered anything more than typical bumps you would expect from a newly mobile baby. However, I will say that we did have one major scare and unfortunately, it was ALL MY FAULT! Long story short, while on vacation in NY (more on that in a future post) I was extremely overtired and distracted and while changing Layla on a bed, I completely lost my head and stepped away from her to answer a ringing phone. Now, I have to stop right here and say that I have ALWAYS said that I cannot understand how stupid parents can be when they leave their children, at any age, unattended. It sickens me when accidents happen that were easily prevented if the parents would just pay attention.

I of course, was forced to eat my words and officially felt like the ABSOLUTE worst parent in the entire world! Layla did take a tumble off the bed and landed on the floor. God must have been watching out for her (since clearly my mind was gone), because thankfully, she went feet down and was not hurt in any way. Not a bump or bruise, nothing! She was scared but that was about it. I, on the other hand, was so far from OK, it took me days to recover and even now, writing about it is giving me anxiety. I ran as fast as my feet have ever carried me, back to her and scooped her up. I checked her out and then could not bring myself to let her go. I cried and sobbed and was pretty much inconsolable. I could not believe I had done that and I felt like the worst parent ever. Luckily, I was surrounded by my wonderful husband and family who all told me that it was just an accident and that Layla was fine. Then, all of the moms in my family told me their own stories of distracted parenting that resulted in a traumatic moment, from accidentally letting their child fall off the couch, to searching the house in vain for the child that they were carrying on their hip, to falling asleep while rocking their baby and waking up to find her hanging an inch from the floor. Apparently, it happens to all of us at some point or another and it just reminds us of just how vigilant we need to be at all times. For the record, I do not even allow the ringers to be on in my house, so leave a message....

In other (and less traumatizing) milestone news, Layla has begun eating table food, though she will not feed herself. If I put it in her mouth she will eat cheese, bread, crackers, cheerios, beans, pasta and potatoes. It has been interesting to watch her explore new foods but at the same time, it makes it that much more difficult for us to eat in front of her. She wants absolutely everything that we have and she does not understand that there are some things her little gums are not ready for, like raw veggies. I only hope that she is still interested when she has the teeth to chew them up :)

Speaking of teeth, the first one has made it's appearance and it's SHARP! Our little chewing angel baby is now a vicious beast with a weapon in her mouth. I would imagine that it does not feel very good and that there are more on the way which is causing all of this ferocious biting but either way...it hurts! She is chewing on anything and everything but apparently Mommy and Daddy taste better. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to this phase being over.

Watching Layla go through all of these changes is exciting but also sad for me. She is growing up so fast and I know that little baby will soon be too busy to let Mommy hold her for hours. I am assuming she senses my sadness and therefore gave me a wonderful memory to treasure forever...her first word, "mama." She has been babbling a lot lately saying "babababaaa" so I assumed that "mama" or "dada" would be soon to follow, I just wasn't sure which would come first. While we were on vacation during bathtime (so luckily Daddy was in the room) she held out her arms to me and said "mama." I was overjoyed and have felt the same way every time she has said it since. She does not say it often yet but I'm sure it will come with time. I am now working on "dada" with her so that Matthew will know that amazing feeling as well!

The good, the bad, the scary and upsetting, the heartwarming and amazing...raising our daughter continues to be an adventure and I wouldn't trade it for the world!