Time Marches On...

Ginny is working on stair climbing. More accurately, she's obsessed with climbing stairs as if magnetically attracted to them. This kills me. Kids and stairs make me very nervous. But... Ginny wants to climb stairs and I'm letting her, under my close and watchful eye/when I am right behind her. So, it was on one of these trips up the stairs the other day when I had one of those movie-like-memory-sequence experiences. Do you know what I mean? It was all over in a split second, but I swear I saw a million little pictures flash by showing how time has marched on. It took my breath away, left me grinning and choked up all at once.

As Ginny climbed up the stairs I saw, in my mind, a 15 month old Ellie climbing the very same stairs, turning and grinning at me and then hurrying to catch up with Buddy, who was waiting just a few steps ahead, for her to catch up. When Ellie was at this stair-climbing-stage, we still had our Buddy Dog (our best-dog-in-the-whole-world-rescued Buddy-Spaniel who passed away the August before G was born), so Ellie never climbed alone. Neither one went up or down without the other. I saw Ellie and Buddy climbing the stairs. I saw Ellie learning to slide back down and Buddy trying to keep up as he grew older and slower. I saw Ellie jumping in puddles, soaked on a Spring day, reveling in the rain and her lady bug raincoat and rain boot ensemble. I felt the 'weight' of a tiny newborn Ellie in my arms.... and then, without pause, I remembered that Ellie has recently outgrown that once-over-sized rain gear and that Ginny is growing into it. I remembered a tiny newborn Genevieve coming home for the first time and how big Ellie seemed that day- how much bigger she seemed after having been away from her for just 48 hours. I realized that Ginny will never climb stairs alone either - and will always have a willing partner next to her when she slides back down. It was a split second. The briefest of moments. I saw both of my children and felt them in my arms as infants - and knew how fast the time has flown by.

Ginny kept moving up the stairs and I followed behind, ready to catch her should she fall; just where I'll always be for both of my girls. Time is marching on.

Eloise, July 2007

Eloise, January 2011

Genevieve, January 2010

Genevieve, January 2011