Big girl

The last couple of days Chloë has seemed...old. Eric has been bewailing her upcoming birthday, saying, "She's not a baby any longer!" I have poo-poohed this, saying she's definitely still a baby until she can walk, and as far as I'm concerned until she can tell me herself that she's not. But just in the last few days I've noticed how very much she's grown. How she has goals of her own, and opinions, and how she manages to tell me what she wants, even though she doesn't have words. How she's patient with me when I lug her places, but impatient when she can see I've cut up some strawberries but all she's got in front of her is crummy bread. How she understands when I tell her "no shoes" (and cries because of it) or when I start playing Pattycake or This Little Piggy with her, even if she's not actually interested. What a big girl she is. I still think she's still definitely a baby, but her toddler self is starting to peek through.