Mamma's don't let your babies grow up!!!

I was catching up with technology tonight and finally decided to transfer all the files on floppy disc over to CD. I know, I'm so not up with the latest. Most of them are pictures I took with a digital camera, which was purchased 7 years ago. For those of you who are like me and don't keep up, that's ancient for a digital camera, or any camera. I was checking out the pictures as I transferred them. Wow, time flies by so fast.
Kids grow up way too fast. For those of you with small children, under 2 years, this will happen no matter what you do. Warnings don't help. I tell all my clients' parents it will fly by before they know it. I was looking at the pictures and realizing that even I got warnings back then. But how do you slow time down? No amount of preparation makes your children grow up any slower. Once they get to age 5 you no longer want to slow things down, because they know too much for their own good and you can't wait for them to use that knowledge in college, far, far away. But then you look back at the pictures and you remember the sounds, the smells, and the INNOCENCE. To this day one sound melts me and makes me want to have another baby in a heartbeat. When a baby is hysterically crying and it seems like they are at the point of no return. Mommy or daddy finally finds the pacifier and plugs it in the baby's mouth. The next sound gets me every time. That noise of I want to cry but I want to suck this pacifier too. If you don't understand, you will some day when you are out doing errands or something and it will happen, then this story will click!
Takyra has grown up so fast. I look at the pictures and I can't believe how long it has been and yet how fast time flew. I showed Takyra the pictures and she even thought she was cute. She asked me why I let her grow up. I let her know I had no control over that. In the same breath I also reminded her that had she not grown up, she wouldn't be able to do all the things she is doing today.
Yes, when they are babies we hold them, confident that our arms and our love will protect them from everything. We pray every day that they are safe and that they stay close by us. Then the reality of it hits and we know we can't shelter them in our arms all through life and they have to take that first step (or crawl). We spend their lives teaching them and molding them so that they can grow to be strong, independent adults who make wise decisions. It is truly bittersweet.
They do grow fast. All we can do is watch and grow with them and cherish every moment.

"Train up a child in the way he should go and he shall not depart from it."Proverbs 22:6