Watching Elise grow...*sniff*

For some reason, I still think of Elise as this little newborn. Probably because at one year, she still looks so much more like a baby than Lola did.
At one year old, Lola already looked like a toddler to me....she was slim, walking by 10.5 months, had longer hair in ponytails and wore cute little clothes that were not cut for a cloth diaper.
Elise at one year is still chubby and round. She's not walking yet and her big cloth diaper butt mandates stretchy, loose clothing! She's extremely cuddly and just really looks like a 'baby'! I think because of that, I underestimate her capabilities...like when she picks up a new skill, I get really amazed and, admittedly, a bit surprised. Today, though, she really gave me a good dose of reality at just how much she is growing up and how quickly she is learning. We were sitting on the floor, playing with a rubber racquetball. One thing about Elise is that she is a mimicker. She mimics your hand gestures, your sounds whatever. If you give her a phone, she knows to put it to her ear, give her a hairbrush and she will brush her hair.
Anyway, so there we are sitting on the floor and I show her the sign for ball. She has never signed anything yet, but I've started showing her a few. I know she knows the words though! I showed her how we "bounce" the ball and how we "roll" the ball. She giggled with such immense delight at these new words. I could actually see the learning right before my eyes. She learned how to bounce or roll the ball and after only a few minutes, she would do either according my request.
I think Lola grew up quickly, though I don't really blame myself because the reality is that a lot is just Lola's personality. She is full-speed ahead and has always been this way. Elise has always been content just chilling out. So it's kind of funny and a teeny bit sad to watch her grasping on to all these new things...she can't stay a baby forever as much as I would love to live in this moment for a long, long time!