My 601 Baby

I had one of those "Mom" moments last week. You know, when you find yourself watching your child and you suddenly are so overcome with emotion that tears start flowing, uncontrollably, down your cheeks.

Of course, this happened to me while I watched Katie during her swim lesson. I mean, it's an emotional time, right? No . . . I don't think so.

But right there. Poolside. At our local Lifetime Fitness. That's when it hit me.

As she listened so attentively to her instructor, and grasped the butterfly stroke with such ease and finesse, I sat there . . . bawling my eyes out . . . like a baby.

Because somehow, somewhere, at some point in the past 9 years, this little baby became a girl. And she is . . . amazing.

I don't know how it happened. I mean, I remember bringing her home and those first few sleepless months, thinking that this was the hardest thing I've ever done. And don't get me wrong, it isn't easy . . . being a parent. It is hard. But I clearly remember feeling like I was going to have a baby . . . forever. Like I would never sleep through the night again, and like I was forever going to be changing diapers and burping babies, and that any resemblance of the life I once knew was over.

But, it's not true. That didn't happen. Because last week, I sat there watching this . . . baby . . . as she mastered something that her mom was never really good at, and I thought to myself, "Oh, my God . . . how is this happening? She is so . . . BIG. She is so . . . BEAUTIFUL. She is so . . . AMAZING. How did this happen? Where was I when all of this . . . happened?"

Of course, after the session Katie and her instructor came up to me.

"She is doing so well!" the instructor said. "I want to move her up to the next level - she picks up these strokes so quickly and is really a fantastic swimmer," she told me. "Next week, we'll move her up to level 601."

"601?!?!?!" I wanted to say, "you can't move her up to 601! She's just a baby. Shouldn't you put those little arm floating things on her, and keep her in the shallow end of the pool? I mean, what are you doing here? Look at her, she's just a baby."

I wanted to say all of that. Loud and clear.

But, I didn't. Instead, I looked over at my baby, who was beaming, and said, "that's WONDERFUL!!"

Baby, you'll never know just how happy you have made me.

I thank God, every single second of every single day, for sending you to me.

My 601 Baby.

Exhale.