Paige-y

Bubble Bath Beard! Paige discovered that this made me laugh and just kept dipping her chin into the bubbles and giggling.

She's growing up way too fast. Paige is 10.5 months old now. I can't believe it. How is it possible that my baby is nearing her first birthday?!

We tend to always add an "eee" sound to the end of Paige's name. We all do it and it occurred to me the other day that she may not know that her name really isn't Paige-y. But to call her plain old Paige just makes her sound too grown up. She's our sweet little punkin for Pete's sake! When she's 16 we'll tell her what her name really should sound like....maybe.

Paige-y is pulling herself up to everything and walking along the furniture. Won't be long 'til she's walking. As much as I want to allow her to grow up, I'm also really feeling the sadness of seeing her become less and less of a baby. My mommy heart is having a hard time!

I look at pictures of Madison when she was around this age - pictures of her gnawing on a t-bone or standing up at the play kitchen - and that was just yesterday too. Maddie just moved up to the big kids' class at church. She tells us long and detailed stories (some true, some made-up) and never ceases to make us laugh. No more baby babble there...unless she's trying to get our attention by acting like a baby.

I found a box of clothes that Brooklyn wore when she was around this age. It held treasures I didn't remember keeping like Brooklyn's Christmas dress, the white dress she wore to my sister's wedding, the blue-checked dress and bonnet that I once wore and that she wore too (looking like a little pioneer baby), and a pink silk Chinese pantsuit that we bought in Chinatown when we were in California for MAF training. Brooklyn is so grown up now - learning to read, making her own social network at school, perfecting the art of rolling her eyes at us.

It's all coming into clear perspective - Paige will soon be there too. She'll be the three-year-old with wild hair and even wilder ideas about life. She'll be the six-year-old with her own circle of friends at school.

And where will my other two babies be? Pioneering new ground. Growing up. All of them! At once! I'm not sure I can handle it. At least not very graciously.

Lord, help me.

Brooklyn 1 yr old in California. That's the Chinatown Pantsuit.

Maddie at about 1 yr. The infamous t-bone picture.

By the way, these pictures are of the older girls at around one year. I want to note that Paige is not one year old yet. Not yet. Not yet. Still a baby. Still my baby. Not a one-year old yet. Not walking on her own yet. Not yet.

Got that?

Not yet.