As Long as I’m Living, My Baby She Will Be

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She grew and she grew and she grew.

As our youngest of three, she seems to grow exponentially faster than the first two.

As I pick her up from school at the end of the day, it seems like just yesterday she would smile so big sitting on the mat and playing with her toys. When I pick her up these days, she still smiles so big but she runs to the door to meet me.

She’s a big girl now.

As we head to the park, we put her in the stroller while the big kids run around, climb rock walls, and race through tunnels. She fusses until she can get down and then tries to chase them as fast as her little legs will take her, through the tunnels and across the bridges.

She’s a big girl now.

As we sit down for dinner, we pull out the Mum-Mums and the Puffs for her to eat. She reaches for the spaghetti and meatballs or the corn on the cob.

She’s a big girl now.

As we get ready for bath time, we fill her little tub to put inside the big bathtub and sprinkle a few toys. She climbs out of the little tub into the big tub and reaches high for all of the other toys she wants.

She’s a big girl now.

As I rock her to sleep at night, thinking about just how fast her first year has come and gone, the tears trickle down my cheeks. I can feel her body become more and more relaxed as we rock. When she is settled and about to go to sleep she wiggles and wiggles telling me she is ready to lay down in her bed. She doesn’t fall asleep in my arms anymore.

She’s a big girl now.

She’s a big girl now. But as long as I’m living, my baby she will be.

All photos by Katherine Birkbeck Photography.
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Kara
I’m Kara, wife and mom of 3. A Florida native, I relocated to Knoxville over a decade ago to pursue a master’s degree where I promptly fell in love with the endless supply of sweet tea, southern hospitality, and peach cobbler. Oh, and my husband! I’m a physician assistant by day, wife and mom by day and night. When I’m not caring for sick patients, I enjoy traveling as a family and spending time with friends at local events downtown. We had always called Knoxville home, but after returning from spending two years living abroad, our lives are forever changed. We left a piece of our hearts on an island out in the Pacific Ocean and took with us the desire to see more. If words could explain, I’d write a book, but until then, occasional blurbs and social media posts will do!

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