Our babies grow up so fast. Sometimes the moments seem slow, but the process itself is often a fast one. One minute we are holding helpless little creatures and the next they can walk, talk, climb, and run. It's so emotional. And while we wait months for them to do all the things we want to see, sometimes when they do them, they actually make us cry.
For many moms, the first smile is the biggest one. In those early postpartum weeks, we are just hoping for some indication that this eating, pooping, and sleeping machine we take care of 24/7 actually notices us. So when they smile, it lights up so much more than just their face. Then, a few weeks later, they laugh. And that laugh makes our hearts explode with joy.
The first year is a blur of milestones. Our babies start the process toward becoming toddlers from the moment they exit the womb. Some of the bigger milestones are these:
- Laughing: That first real laugh is the stuff dreams are made of. We wait and we wait and it starts slow, a giggle here and there. But soon it develops into a full-bellied guffaw and I guarantee there is nothing sweeter in the world. My daughter was 4 months old the first time she really laughed. Before then she had been giggling, but it was our little dog who finally turned her giggle into a guffaw. She laughed and laughed, throwing her head back and making us laugh, too. Both my husband and I cried tears of joy.
- Rolling over: This one is the first sign your baby is going to move away from you. The second they can do this, they are no longer safe to leave anywhere. It's the first means of transport your baby has and it can be a little shocking.
- Pulling up to standing: This one is a very short-lived milestone. Your baby goes straight from pulling up to walking. So maybe it's the finite length of time they even practice this trick that makes it so emotional, but there is no doubt. This one is a doozy.
- First words: For many moms, this was a hard one because so many people had "dada" as first words. It can be very painful for the moms, especially when you feel like you raised this kid and why is she not saying MAMA? Hang in there, though. "Mama" is more complex, but it does come and when it does ... get ready to cry, Mama.
- Walking: This was the one that made me weep. We want our babies to do it. We hope and pray and wish and want them to do it. But then, when they do it, we weep. There is something so final about walking. Your baby is gone and in his/her place is this new creature, a toddler you will love just the same, but is someone new you have to get to know. Just try not to sob.
What milestones really hit you hardest with your baby?
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Comments 50
What has actually hit me the hardest is the delay of milestones. My 25-month-old son has been delayed in gross motor skill and speech. He didn't sit up until he was 9 months old. He didn't crawl until he was 14 months old. He didn't walk until he was almost 22 months old. He still doesn't talk much. He babbles, and there are a handful of words and 2-word phrases he'll say with some regularity, but that's about it. The hardest thing for me is watching other kids we know reach those milestones and we're still waiting with our little guy. And then people tell me "Oh, don't be so eager for him to do such-and-such!" Well, screw that. I am HAPPY when he accomplishes something new because we've waited so long and worked so hard for it, and gone through the emotional ups and downs of constantly having to say "No...he isn't doing that yet..." to other parents when they gush about their own baby doing something new. When it's my turn to gush, I enjoy every single second of it. There's very little sadness that he isn't a baby any more. Advancing has taken so much and so long, I welcome it.
Although the goober still refuses to say "Mama". And that? That's hard on me. He COULD say it. He just doesn't. Sigh.
The most fun so far has been mimicking everything. At 10 mos she can wayve and say bye when I do it, I showed her how I comb my hair and she tries to do it too (on me and her!), she wall say dada if I say it, smiles when I smiles, its soooo precious. I wish she was this age forever,
yeah..klindergarden would be one of them. and when they say i love you
potty training thats when you come to realize your baby is no longer a baby anymore when they are fully potty trained thats when it would hit me.