Practically An Adult

Eliza hasn't been feeling well the past couple of days. She woke up coughing last night and couldn't stay asleep due to congestion. The lack of sleep made for a tired and somewhat grumpy Eliza this morning. She still wasn't feeling like herself and wanted to be right beside Nathan or me constantly. She spent the day following us around and refused to play alone for even a minute.

As I went downstairs to do laundry, she called out, "I'm behind you, Mama! I'm walking behind you!" When I went to put the babies down for a nap, she was there and ready to sing "You Are My Sunshine." When I sat on the couch to feed the babies, she sat right beside me. She required constant attention. Although this isn't unusual behavior, Eliza typically spends an hour or so playing alone during the day. She is fairly independent and enjoys dressing her Barbies, doing puzzles, or coloring by herself.  Today, she could do nothing alone and wanted to be held as much as possible (that never happens). Having a constant shadow throughout the day was tiring, so I felt somewhat relieved when Eliza decided to "help" Cheryl go through family pictures.

She was fascinated. She loved looking at the pictures of her cousins and particularly enjoyed seeing "baby Eliza." She would point to herself and say, "It's me! I was so adorable!" Nathan and I were cooking in the kitchen and enjoyed hearing her cute comments. She ran over and showed me a couple of pictures taken last year and said, "I'm such a big girl now. I was just a baby then, but I'm a big girl now."

And she's right! I keep thinking, "She's not even three yet. She's still my baby," but this is photographic evidence that she is a big girl (or bigger girl, at least). In a very short time, she will be even more independent than she already is. She will be going to school and unable to spend all day by my side. My time with Eliza is so special, and I need to remind myself never to begrudge a minute with her, thinking I need   "just a minute" alone.

Sometimes, it's nice to have a shadow.