From the day our children are born we are overwhelmed with a love that we never knew we could ever feel. At the first sight of our sweet little baby we feel our hearts grow a hundred times bigger. Who knew that it was ever possible to love someone as much as we find we can at that moment in time? As we watch them grow, the days turn into months and months turn into years. Before we know it, we are taking them to their first day of school and fighting back the tears of both joy and sadness.

My daughter, my sweetheart, my baby; I look at her now and wonder how time could fly by so fast. Almost done with kindergarten and moving on to 1^st grade, playing on a softball team and done with T-Ball. She does chores around the house and loves Hanna Montana. She even has a crush on a boy at school (with the understanding that she is not allowed to have a boyfriend until she’s 40). I watch her grow more and more each and every day and think how time is so bitter sweet. Before I know it we’ll be fitting her for her cap and gown for graduation and looking at colleges (I hope she stays close to home).

At softball practice last night I really took a step back. I let myself just observe her and the other girls on the team and tried to look at her as I would the rest of the girls rather than as my sweet baby girl. It made me a little sad, I won’t deny that. It hit me hard to see that she is not my little baby anymore; she’s my little lady now. When did this happen and why so fast? It seems that just yesterday I was sitting with her in the NICU, rocking her to sleep waiting for the news that we could go home.

It’s time for me to let go, well just a little bit. No more referring to me as “Mommy” when telling her what I am doing or going to do. Its okay for her to play without Mommy (old habits die hard) and I suppose I can take Laurie Berkner off her mp3 player and replace it with Hanna Montana and Jonas Brothers. But no matter what happens or where she goes or even how old she is, she will secretly always be my baby.