Today I welled up over a ponytail.

Moo’s lovely locks have finally grown long enough to pull back into a proper little ponytail.  I was excited at the prospect of finally being able to keep the hair out of her eyes, but by the time I scooped her hair back into that modest little up do in the photo above and placed a clip in her hair I was struck with emotion: she had gone from ‘baby’ to ‘little girl’ right before my eyes.     I was amazed at how much older she looked with her wild child hair tamed, at how much growing up she was doing in the seconds I wasn’t watching her.

Yet it all adds up, I think to myself as I watch her tippy-toe effortlessly all the way across the living room.  She’s dressed much in the same way I dress myself: jeans, t-shirt, low key.  She looks like… well, like a little person, losing more and more baby features by the day.    She’s beginning to engage in imaginative play, feed herself with utensils, express more complex desires and it’s absolutely amazing to be privy to seeing it all unfold.  Sometimes I have to remind myself she’s just nineteen months old, because it feels like I’ve known her forever. And in those moments I just want to hug her and never let her go, never let her grow up.

Most days now she’s too busy being a little girl for things like snuggles … and that’s okay, because when we DO share a snuggle nowadays more often than not it’s because she actively made the decision to crawl into my lap and give me a hug, and that’s awesome.  I pull her in and hold her close, and she hugs back and pats my shoulder with her little hand.

And life slowly comes back into perspective.