Changing Before My Eyes

As I was nursing Emma yesterday, I stared down at her sweet little face and started thinking about how she has changed before my very eyes. My how far we have come since the first time we nursed in July. How awkward and natural it felt, all at the same time. She was a pro to begin with, though, loving milk any way she could get it. She was so little and needed help finding mommy at times. No longer do I have to direct her. No longer do I have to rub her little shoulders or use a wet washcloth to keep my sleepy little newborn awake. Now we struggle with keeping our attention focused. There's so much more to do and see then to eat! Emma used to fit so snugly in my lap on the boppy. I'd support her little head and neck while she fed. Now she stretches across the boppy, her head touching one arm of the fluffy white chair, her toes touching the other. I would play with her long, dark, soft hair while we nursed. I loved the feeling of it between my fingers. Then one day, out of nowhere it seemed, the hair started to disappear until it was merely some peach fuzz. I now have hair to play with again, but it is different. Not as soft as that newborn hair, and definetely not as dark, but just as beautiful. Her little hands would lie still while she nursed as a newborn, now they are everywhere. Rubbing mommy's shoulders, grabbing mommy's glassess and necklaces, reaching for the burp cloth. And those little pinchers! Ouch! I used to just sit and stare at my little dearest, thinking of all sorts of things. I still sit and stare and think, but now there is interaction that is so much fun. Her eyes lock on mine and we just smile at each other. She is changing before my eyes. Growing so quickly. She is this special little person with such a huge personality, my daughter, my Emma-Bear.