On Independence & Imagination

I have noticed Logan changing in two major ways lately. Ways that scream my little guy is getting bigger.... more capable. Independence is the first. We are in one of those bittersweet growing stages. I want him to need me, but I can't wait to sit back and watch him discover all that he is capable of. The kind of bittersweet moments where I stand back and watch him head for that rope ladder at the playground with all of the older kids. I take a few steps back, but that arm that has been outstretched since the crawling days still seems to linger in the air as if I could catch him from ten feet away. I take a breath and watch as he climbs... all by himself. And that proud toddler grin at the top makes me sure that stepping back was the right thing.

The last few weeks have been packed full with those moments. The I can do it all by myself moments. Sometimes it is hard as a mom, to know when to step in and when to let him try it by himself. I have found myself trying to step back a bit (as long as it is safe to do so). Falling isn't always a bad thing. It teaches him to get back up and try again. To try it differently next time. Not to give up.

He made his bed all by himself the other day. And while it was wrinkly, and bunched up in places, it was perfect. And he was so proud of it. He ran to get me, grabbed my hand, and brought me to his room with more excitement than his little body could contain. While it is not something that comes easily to me, I am trying to let go a little bit. Make sure he knows that he did an awesome job, and refrain from being too focused on the details of how something is done.

Almost as if the two go hand in hand, his imagination seems to be taking right off too. He will open a book and make up most of the story, or read parts from memory. He is fighting off bears one minute, and cooking eggs with sprinkles in them the next.

One of his recent favorite games is the "pirate" game. He found a piece of treasure, which happened to be the lid to a candle jar. I would hide it somewhere in the room and we would take our treasure map (a piece of scrap paper), and a flashlight, and go searching for treasure. Talking like pirates the whole time.

So that is what has been going on around here lately. A lot of independence and imagination.
Oh, and the appetite of a toddler during a growth spurt... that is no joke.