Where the time went

We spent months and months waiting for her to start crawling, helping her practice the movements, encouraging her to spend time on her tummy. And now, after what seems like such a short time, she's turned a corner with her walking and spends more time on her feet - she actually prefers to stand and walk to get somewhere than to crawl. It's beautiful, and I am so, so proud of her. But at the same time, saying goodbye to that cute little crawl is heartbreaking. Why do they grow up so fast?

Time rushes on so relentlessly. I try to enjoy every moment; the smell of her hair, the smallness of her hand in mine, her little baby voice saying wow.

Every day her steps get steadier. This is one of my favourite photos of her:

I get the feeling that I'll be looking back at it in a few years wondering where the time went. I hope I'm never too busy to walk slowly, to hold hands, to stop and point at cats and flowers and trees, to wave at strangers. I hope I always love my life so much I want to slow it down and grab hold of every moment.