Between myself and Eloise, Eloise is doing all the growing, and I'm dealing with all the pain. She has started crawling this week, and I'm having a really hard time with it.

I knew it was inevitable that Eloise would grow up. And I knew it would be difficult. I just didn't know how emotionally hard it would be for me to see her change; to become a completely different baby than what she was 8 months ago. 8 months ago I would beg for another hour of sleep. Now, I beg for one more snuggle, one more wave, one more pull to the hair to give a kiss, or one more clap of the hands. I love seeing the wheels turning in her head and the excitement from finding something new. There is so much wonder and awe in her eyes.

I never knew how much I could love a human being. Even on our rough days, which tend to happen more frequently than I had planned, I would never trade her for the world. I find no greater joy than being her mom.

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."

--Angela Scwindt