In as Long as Out

This weekend was BG's 9-month birthday.  It's crazy to think that she's now been in the world as long as she was in utero.  Seems like a big right of passage for her mama and really highlights just how long you are pregnant!  It also really mirrors the rapid growth during pregnancy.  Looking back at her birth and then monthly pictures it is stunning to see the rapid growth and development.  I'm not usually the sappy type but as I fed her yesterday, she was insistent that she wanted to drink water out of a glass like her mommy.  She still hasn't mastered drinking out of a cup because she still leaves her tongue on the outside but she would hand me the glass so she could watch me drink and then try it again herself.  Just a times back and forth and she figured out (with no prompting) that she had to pull her tongue in. It was a small moment but so stunning to me how intelligent she is and how quickly she is growing up. She's so damn determined to figure things out and picks things up so fast.  I love every minute with her and am so fortunate to have some extra vacation and days home with her before I head back to the classroom myself that I am trying to savor every minute.  Seems funny but I'm sure she'll be 9 and then 19 in the blink of an eye.  And that makes her mommy very very sad.  All I can say, I thought being a parent would be great but I had no comprehension on the joy that a child brings into one's life.  There is no doubt a lot of work involved but every minute is repaid a million times in the brightness they bring.