365 x 4

I remember being a kid and the time would go by sooooo terribly slow.  The summer would drag on forever and the days were endless.  Old people would always say, 'Enjoy it now, because when you are older the time will just fly by.'  I thought they were full of it. 

We have had Bug for four years.  An entire high school or college lifetime.  When I look at pictures of myself from four years ago, I think I look pretty similar...okay, the muscles that used to be toned are now taking on more of a jello-like role, the teeth are a little more coffee-stained, and the circles under the eyes are a little darker...but other than that, not much has changed, thankfully.  Then there's her....the transformation little ones make in four years is just crazy.  They seriously grow up overnight without you even seeing it happen.  In honor of Bug's 4th birthday...a little look back at who she was and who she is (at least from my perspective!)...

Months 0-12...After the shock wore off that we had a girl and not a boy (even though we didn't have a sonogram to confirm, everyone-including myself-was for sure she was a boy!) we were in heaven with our baby girl.  The outfits that arrived were fabulous and I couldn't wait to play dress up with her.  She won over TOH's heart and they were inseparable-it melted my heart.  Despite her cuteness though, she cried...a lot.  Some said they thought she had colic, and who knows to this day, but I had a lot of nights where I had to go for some long walks while she stayed home with her dad-thank God for him and his patience!  He was (is) so good with her (and babies in general) and he was a lifesaver in so many situations.  Some people are lucky to have really calm, laid back babies and others say their babies never cry, but I don't sugar-coat, she was a crier...and I love her for it.  She knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it!  To sum up her first twelve months...we called her 'very touchy'...you never knew what you were gonna get...but regardless, this baby was loved to pieces.
 

Happy with Aunt Kiki~9 months

12-24 Months...Simply put, an absolute JOY.  There was a switch that someone turned on and she became the happiest baby on the block.  I don't know if it was because she was able to start vocalizing what she wanted or because she was finally mobile (this girl never rolled over, never crawled, and didn't walk until 14 months!!)...but something happened and everything that went down during her first year was totally erased!  She became the most outgoing, social, hilarious, and pleasant little girl and she made everyone around her smile and laugh.  It was such a blessing after all that crabbiness!

Classic Bug...22 months

Year 2-3...Classified as the "Miss Independent" year.  This was when she grew up the most.  Started talking in full sentences.  Her memory blew us out of the water.  We weren't prepared for such a little person to know and do so much so fast.  My fondest memory of her at this age was a close friend telling us that she was the most polite 2 year old they had ever met...oh the good old days! 

Busy woman on the go...2 1/2 years

Year 3-4...To me, this was by far, the year that made me cry the most.  I know it's hard to believe, but I really didn't get emotional about things until this past year when I realized how fast this whole 'childhood' thing is really going!!  Once she started not sitting with me at Storytime anymore, taking dance classes, teaching her sister things instead of having me teach her, and then the whole pre-school thing...I just lost it!  She is totally, 100% not a baby anymore...she likes to shut her bedroom door and get into bed herself, she likes to put together her own dinner, she gets into the car and buckles herself up on her own...I mean, why am I even around??!! 

And that hilarious side I mentioned...here's a few recent examples of her work...

Riding along in a shopping cart last week...out of the blue...'Mama, you are sweetness!'

As we're giving hugs before bed...'I love you deep in my heart, mom.'

Yet again, in the bathroom where so many of our good stories happen...'Oops, I just had some gas. You know I picked that gas up when I was at the gas station yesterday.'

In the midst of having a 3 1/2 year old 'fit'...she says to me in the most soap-opera dramatic voice, 'Mama, I am a wreck. Just a wreck.'

As I am on my hands and knees cleaning the kitchen floor...I hear these uplifting words of advice: 'You should put on the Cinderella song, Mama, because you are just like her!'

I am so proud of her...of who she has become, and who I know she is going to be.  And for now...this is who she wants to be...her exact words...'A movie star.  One who lives in Hollywood.'

We are all in trouble.

To sum it all up...for those who are new parents or about to become new parents...the best advice I ever received after having her was this...'Never wish away any moment...Don't ever say you can't wait until they can do something else.'  Because they will do it...way quicker than you ever wanted it to really happen...and then all you will want to do is rewind.  Enjoy.Every.Second.