A Growing Up Week

There are weeks where I am sure that my daughters have grown up right before my eyes. Their legs look longer. Their conversations seem deeper. Their faces are more mature. They take a few more steps towards independence...and away from me.

This was one of those weeks.

Even Little Baby (18 weeks+) has gotten in on the action. For he/she is growing like a weed. A big one. I feel strong kicks hourly...even as I type this. And in the past 24 hours, I have gained...TWO pounds! Craziness.

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Raegan got a sinus infection. Once on medication, she slept A LOT.

But once she was better, she REALLY WOKE UP. I told Jet that it seemed she had gained a few pounds of personality in the awakening. :)

What a hoot! She's constantly trying to make the girls laugh. Or will join in with her forced laugh whenever the older ones are cracking up in the back of the car. She now walks with confidence across the house. And talks more and more. She's officially left babyhood behind. And is embracing being one of the "big girls".

Unfortunately, part of that new-found big girl personality doesn't include nursing. She completely stopped nursing out of the blue. Very sad for mommy. Though Raegan doesn't seem phased in the slightest. She's 13 1/2 months.

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Charis has begun to change her looks. Not too long ago, my Mom said she was starting to look like Jet's side of the family. (When told that, Charis just smiled really big and laughed. She loved it.) Every day, her face appears to have changed a bit more. Becoming more and more beautiful.

She's been asking again and again to take the training wheels off her bike. This past week, Jet did. ....though she was only able to practice for a small amount of time. The grass needed to be mowed. Badly. :)

My parents bought a riding mower...Charis said "Granddaddy taught me how to drive. So I can drive now." She's fairly confident that she can truly drive now.

Huh. Just stay away from the Durango. 'kay, dear?

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Selah FINALLY had her "Bubby Party". I've been a "bit" behind in getting that together. So this weekend we celebrated her giving up her pacifier, even though it was months and months ago. But it only took her three nights before she stopped even asking for it!! All because she was awaiting that Bubby Party with her cousins.

She came up with the menu for her party... pasta and sauce, bread, fruit salad, lemonade, and a cake. ;) She loved it! Unfortunately, I was having so much fun that I didn't take any pictures outside of the mowing pictures. I have no idea what I was thinking!

Selah's recently started to write words ALL. THE. TIME. I think it's the competitive side in her wanting to keep up with her big sister. Because she's recently "taken off" on teaching herself letters, their sounds, and how to spell and write big words. And wants to write and write...

But one thing that really stuck out to me this week was how much she watched my facial expressions. She was asking me a question. I looked across the room, thinking. Narrowing my eyes just a little as I considered my answer.

Then I answered her. And she thought a second. Narrowing HER eyes. And then said something else.

The impact of that moment was pretty large in my heart. In a two second exchange, she had picked up the facial expression of narrowing her eyes in thought. She's since kept it.

As a mom, I realized I have to watch not only what I say...but how I say it. Because in a split second, they grow up. And become just like me.

I guess what Henry Ward Beecher says is true:

"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom."