Little people are awesome

I am not a perfect mother. But I love mothering.  I love being with my daughter, being around her.  Pretty much every day, I stop at some point and feel that completely overwhelming squeeze through the chest that this amazing little being is related to me, cause I grew her, that part of her is forever a part of me.

These moments often happen when we're not actually directly involved with each other.  She keeps herself busy quite well, so often I can get stuff done while she amuses herself.  But I end up catching these glimpses of her when I'm watching out of the corner of my eye.

Yesterday I was washing dishes when she started getting into the cat food. (We're staying with my husband's brother and his family- they have two school aged boys- long since not babies, so the house is only temporarily baby-proofed for us.  Understandably, things like cat food get left out near the cat's dishes... and then of course, my baby wants to play with said cat food!)  So, I'm up to my elbows in dishes, so I ask my husband to put the open box of cat food out of reach of Beni- she can play with the unopened box and use it as a rattle and what not, but I'd like to avoid cat food dinner.  So he picks up the box and puts it in a cupboard.  Beni isn't too fussed because hey, here's another box right here! She watched her dad put the one box in a cupboard she knows she can't open (she's been trying).  So she picks up the other box, walks over to the cupboards and open the next door, and puts the cat food in there!

Does this strike anyone as so freaking normal?  Such an every day thing?  This is exactly what I'm talking about!  This little person (whom my sister-in-law keeps reminding me is ONLY 14 mos old- she's turned into a PERSON in 14 months!) watched her dad do something, and then, knowing she couldn't do exactly what he did, worked out the next best thing!  (Remind me tomorrow when we need to feed the cat, that we actually know where the food is!)

So, that little every day, normal, developmentally-appropriate thing just made me get all, "Joel, did you see that?  Did you see what she did?  God, she is so amazing!!!!"  I couldn't get over it.

Because the thing is, my kid is doing the things she should be doing.  She's growing into her own little person. A person with character, interests, an attitude, thoughts, ideas and so much more!  And it's amazing, because only 14 months ago, she couldn't even lift her head, much less a box of cat food!

Now, some of you out there with multiple children might be thinking, "Who has time for this kind of stuff!?!?"  When there is a house to keep, a job to work, bills to pay, meals to cook, other kids to take care of... who has time to notice, or be amazed about stuff that every kid eventually gets around to?

I have the time right now.  And I absolutely accept that as life changes I will have less readily available time for things like this.  But my hope?  My hope is that I don't give up on noticing how amazing my kids are, even when they are only doing normal every day stuff.  Because it's all so normal and yet, it is such a freaking miracle.  And it's right there, under our noses all the time.  Little people are awesome, and it is such a cliche, but nonetheless, an honor to be a part of these little people's lives!  So for as crazy as life might ever get as our family grows and grows, as our circumstances change, I hope I still take the split second of time it takes to see the miracle within the normal.  Because that feeling, that squeeze across the chest, of love and pride and amazement... it feels pretty good. :)