Today Olivia and I had a play date with our favorite group of mommy and babies. We've been doing so for about a year now, after we all met at gymboree. We had a wonderful time eating our lunch, watching the girls play together, and had a little early Christmas gift exchange. It was a great afternoon, but i was left with a little pit in my stomach as we pulled away. The thing is, I felt like i had literally just watched my little girl go from baby in front of my eyes. I don't know when it happened, but it did.
It seems like just last week we were watching the girls sit nicely next to each other in their high chairs, putting whatever they could reach into their mouths, while we sat around a table eating our lunch. Then we evolved to the park in the spring, sitting up shop next to the sand pit trying to make sure not too much sand was ingested. Then came summer and the pool, with our little ladies running around and trying to make sure there was no one swallowing too much water. And now here we are playing ring around the rosie, trying to teach the art of sharing, and enforcing the no hitting policy.
Watching these four little girls play with their new baby dolls and tea sets made me realize how far we have come in the past 17 months and what a wonderful age Olivia is at. Somewhere in the everyday routine of breakfast, playing, cleaning, nap time, Mickey Mouse, and time outs I had lost the magic of the toddlerhood. She has become such a little sponge, soaking up everything around her all the time. I swear it seems like she is learning new words by the hour. (Her favorite of which is edamame..too damn cute) She is so fun to play with, actually interacting and understanding what we are doing. It makes me one proud momma to watch, and after yesterday I realized I need to not just watch her growing and learning but enjoy her growing and learning.
This afternoon the girls weren't the only ones who received gifts. I was brought back down to the moment and to the magic of the little moments, and that was the best gift I could have been given.
