A Different Kind of Proud

Pride is human nature. Everyone is proud of something about themselves, even if it is just something little. Don't get this confused with someone who brags about themselves. That I cannot stand. If you are good at something then I think others should say so, but I don't want to hear from you how amazing you are at something. I appreciate humbleness.

I am proud of my education and how hard I worked to get it. I am proud that I graduated from college early. I am proud that I survived my battle with infertility and didn't let it get the best of me or my marriage. I am proud that I was able to deliver Noah with no pain medicine whatsoever - even though that is not what I wanted at the time! I am proud of the home that we have and the life we lead. Then there is how proud I am of my parents, siblings, etc. The list goes on and on. It is crazy how none of that can compare to how proud I am of Noah.

Everyone gets told that you love your child like you have never loved anything else - but the pride thing came as a surprise to me. Seeing Noah learn something new is the most exciting and amazing thing to me. I knew he would learn to do things. I have 13 nieces and nephews that I have watched do their tricks for me when I see them. However, I can compare Noah learning a word to the same pride I have for me graduating college! One took 3 years, the other took a month - but both are awesome!

Noah is starting to repeat and mimic now and it is awesome. If I tell him "no, no" and point my finger at him, he will say it right back - finger and all! I watch him get in and out of his Little Tikes Truck and he shuts the door and opens it every time. He even turns the steering wheel and makes driving noises. He loves to climb on his gym in the living room and go down the slide. Every time we pull in our driveway at home after I pick him up from the babysitters he says "Dada" - he knows that is when we see Daddy again. He says "more" when he is hungry or thirsty and if we say "night night" he grabs his bear Blue and lays down. If someone else were to tell me their child did these things I would think it was cute - but when it is your own child and you have been there every day to see that there was a time, recently even, that they could not do this, it makes it just amazing to watch.

Noah is probably at a normal development in what he says (uh-oh, momma, dada, bye bye, night night, teeth, nose, more, puppy, kitty, papa, memaw, and daisy [his sitters dog] - this list grows daily) and what he does (walking, plays catch, climbs things, feeds himself, dances, peek-a-boo, blows kisses, waves hi and bye) but to watch a baby grow from needing you to do everything for them to being able to figure these things out is just awesome. Nathan and I are always talking about how smart Noah is (we are sort-pf proud parents) and even if someone told us he is just like every other one year old out there, I would still be proud of everything he can do and learns to do each day. I just love this whole Momma thing! :)

How did my baby go from this...

And this...

To this, so quickly?!