The other day, an acquaintance of mine expressed a little concern that his 16 month old baby isn’t walking yet. Perhaps something he and/or his wife are doing or providing their little girl with is holding her back, like overusing a walker, which some studies show can delay the proper use of leg muscles. Or perhaps, there is no delay at all. Their daughter will walk when she is ready, and eventually, the worry over when she will walk will be a blip in the memory machine.
Anjali will be one year old in just a few days. The other day, as I was holding her in my arms, soothing her sleepy little body, I reflected on how much she has grown, and how quickly all of the stages of development come and go. There were several along the way that Madhavi and I took the time to appreciate and remember. Here are just a few of the many:
- Her pigeon coos when she was only a few weeks old.
- Her rigid, but super-cute arm movements, and the startle-response around the same time.
- Her little waggly but when she would crawl.
- Her little snort-snuff, scrunched-up-nose-face she would make.
I find many people, myself included sometimes, eagerly waiting for certain new developments–walking, sleeping on their own, drinking from a cup on their own, talking, etc–rather than simply enjoying each precious moment, especially the ones that will come and go.
As I stood there, rocking gently, singing to Anjali, I really tried to feel this warm, little, lovable creature holding on to me. I took in the position of her head, where her hands were holding me, the sweet baby scent and her soft breathing. I thought of a time in the future when she won’t want or need to be in my arms, or will be too big to be there. Hopefully, when that time comes, I can look back and remember that I did cherish these kinds of moments, even if I also wished for a time when I could simply tell Anjali, “It’s nap time,” and she would climb into her bed and go to sleep by herself.
But what’s the rush? Like I said, my friend’s daughter will walk in her own time. Anjali will self-soothe in her own time. Everyone tells me, “They grow up before you know it.” So, I plan, at least, on pausing from time to time to really enjoy who Anjali is in the moment, rather than thinking too much of what will come.
