Where do babies go?

I remember when Kaitlyn was an infant, wondering when she'd reach certain milestones. I never found the brand spankin' new baby part to be very difficult at all. I mean, I love sleep as much as the next guy (probably more) but I always made time for what was important. Cleaning the house could get done when Brent came home and it was his turn with the baby. Spending time snuggling on the sofa, or gazing into each other's eyes, that's what I remember most. But I always wondered "When will she smile? When will her teeth come in? Am I doing it right?" Now I know that I shouldn't have been worried about that part at all. All that is a piece of cake. It's when they find that little glimmer of independence...watch out, world, here she comes!

Here's just an example. This is a dialog between Kaitlyn and her daddy:
D: "Kaitlyn, can I have that please?"
K: "Go 'way!"
D: "Kaitlyn, give it to me please. It's dangerous..."
K: "Go 'WAY!"
Minor scuffle ensues. Daddy winds up with the hotly contested item.
D: "Kaitlyn, go see mommy please"
(As an impartial observer, I have started to pay attention as I'm mildly curious to see where this is going to go)
K: "I NOT!"
Kaitlyn stomps into a room in a completely opposite direction. Daddy dissolves into giggles and I heave a sigh, knowing that we have been given a brief glimpse of the teenage years.

Later, Kaitlyn decided to put some muscle into "I NOT!" Picture a child, no bigger than a leprechaun with blonde, flyaway curls swirling madly about her head. She's got big blue eyes, a cute nose and pearly white miniature teeth. She can give you the sweetest smile, an impish grin or the steely stare of her father when she's not happy with you. This time, she fixes you with steady gaze, bends at the knees and back, bends her arms at the elbow and shouts "I NOT!" flinging her arms towards the floor. She wants you to know she means business. This wasn't done for any reason in particular, just to show that she could. This time, I am the responsible party as I kept encouraging it in order to record it for posterity (I failed, miserably).

My friend Tish always said my first child was going to be a girl. She said she was looking forward to me having a sassy, girlie girl who was going to keep my on my toes. At the time, I thought that was the meanest thing anybody has ever said to me! I play poker and race cars! What could I possibly teach a girlie girl? It's clear that Tish's prophecy came true, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. My time with bebe child is the highlight of my day and even when I'm at the bottom of the well with my patience, all she has to do is turn and smile at me and all is right with my world. I guess kids are just like that. You wanna squeeze 'em with all the love you've got in you one minute and the next minute, you're wondering how much longer until you can implement time out!

So I guess I'm wondering where did my baby girl go and where did this little girl come from?? A little SASSY girl at that. They really do grow up so fast. Who knew we'd grow up with her?