Milestones

I am surfing the wave of my daughter's development not simply as an observer, but also as a peer. In the last few days, she has come out with an array of beautiful skills that leave me in awe...again. Her talking "Da-da-da-da..." had disappeared for several weeks, seemed muffled under something — what? — and made me worry. She has gotten so sick since she started baby school...last week a mysterious fever that my partner and I — in one of those "duh" moments that I'm sure will return again and again — have finally deduced to be teething. But Sunday, after an awful night of tears and pain, she emerged from sleep with words: "Da-da-da-da," smiles, rolling over by herself, pulling herself up to standing, dancing, opening her arms to be picked up. Where had she been hiding it? On Monday she lay there on her belly, frustrated as usual that someone would put her there, and took it upon herself to roll over, an act that before has seemed so useless to her. I cried as I watched it, not because she had rolled over (she had done it before, months ago), but because she had done it for her own reasons. She watched me cry, noticed...she always does. I was so happy for her freedom.

Today in practice, my teacher watched my jump back and remarked that it was coming together. I smiled...and he asked, "Are you liking it?" Am I liking it? Am I liking my jump back? He might have asked me if I liked the new car I had just bought, or the new city I had just moved to (How is Philly? Are you liking it?). "Yes...yes," I said. Yes...I AM liking it. I am loving it. I am free in it.

Baby girl, how are you liking your words? How are you liking your roll-over? How are you liking this new ability to reach out your arms and be picked up and kissed and taken on a sweet adventure? Are you liking this strength? This ability to be inside your body and feel it doing what you want it to? Are you liking the freedom that strength is bringing to you?