I asked my daughter, Lily, “What should I write about today?”
“Write about when I was little,” she replied.
At that moment, it dawned on me that she wasn’t so little anymore. Five years old is pretty big, compared to five months old, or a year, or two or three.
“Well…” Lily tapped the table impatiently. “Aren’tcha gonna write a story about me when I was little?”
Lily and I remembered lots of stories:
How we used to go for a walk to McCarren Park every day when we lived in New York. It took a half an hour each way but I was determined that she would love the outdoors, even if she was a Brooklyn-baby.
Lily remembered a store that we used to visit, Caribou Baby, and the toys they had there. I was amazed that she remembered it.
We talked about the Bronx Zoo and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and our friends down the street, Chris & Dawn and their babies, and how we all used to do everything together. Lily remembered the playground and how we always used to bring a ball to share with other kids. We talked about how the grocery store used to be right across the street, and how we went to the neighborhood library every Saturday.
But mostly I just kept thinking how quickly time is flying by, and how Lily’s babyhood seems like a distant memory from a distant land, long ago and far away.
Write Another One 
Yep, it flies by. I’m heading out on a plane this morning to visit my not so little girls in college. Your writing reminds me of Cynthia Rylant’s Birthday Candles–I can’t remember if that’s the exact title. You could develop this into a picture book.
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Melanie-It’s Birthday Presents-and you are right, it’s like that book! Cherish every single moment because if you think the last 5 years flew by, hold onto your hat. I always wished my girls could live with me forever (still do) but now I get to do it all over again with my first granddaughter, who is growing up way too fast!
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It goes so fast! Enjoy every minute while she’s young. Seems that the teen years hit earlier and earlier! A sweet slice!
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My mom told me when my daughters were little that it was like a blink between the crib and walking down the aisle. Although my daughters are not married yet, they are in the twenties and I see how right my mother was about the passing of time. A blink.
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This was such a sweet tribute to the baby days! It’s amazing how things that really weren’t so long ago feel like they happened an eternity ago. I sat here thinking about where I was and what I was doing five years ago and I’m a completely different person. A lot can happen in a short five years.
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It does fly by. You know what they say, “The days are slow and the years are fast.” It’s hard to believe she’s going to Kindergarten next year. And Isabelle to her pre-K year. Weren’t I just talking to you about potty training yesterday? Last year… yesterday… it’s all gloming together.
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