When did she turn into a KID?

The past 20 months in Germany have flown, especially the latter 18 of those, since Miss Edie graced the world. Lately I've been turning around and wondering, when did I get a kid? I've never been shy to admit that I was not too handy when she was tiny. I found it confusing and stressful. Wonderful at times, sure, but Edie could've done a good bit better than having me as a mom during those first months. Though it took awhile, we're hitting our stride, I think.

Now I've got this real live kid around, who takes a grocery bag, loads it up with her toys, and drags it behind her, leaving the room saying "buh-bye mamma." One who in the middle of breakfast, grabs my hand and puts it on her head so I will give her a mid-morning scalp massage. A kid that tattles on her dad with great relish when I asked her how she hurt her knee ("dada! booboo! outside!"). And who laughs hard at my jokes, but laughs hysterically at her own. I fall into bed most nights feeling like I've run a marathon (and I have actually run one of these), but always with a smile.

Here she is making me laugh or gasp in the past few days. Sometimes both at once.

At a playground with some friends, I looked up to see a kid sitting on the slide, waiting to go down. It took me about 10 seconds to realize that was my daughter, who had gone up the stairs, across the shaky bridge, and over the platform to the slide all on her own. Watching her do it again, cautious but determined to make it to the slide, no matter how scary that bridge was, about did me in.


Here she is, so engrossed in her Peek a Boo Farm app that she barely had time to look up when her dad joined us on the train. She gave him a shooting side eye and went straight back to tapping that barn door. "iPhone" wasn't among her first words for nothing.

This is what happens when you give a toddler some crayons and a paper. And then make the rash decision to blink. Body art is "in", right?