How did this happen??

My baby isn't a little baby anymore--to my complete surprise :-)

Is it just me or does a baby "speed grow" while away on vacation?  It seems like since we've returned from the beach, Layla has really grown up.  For example, two days ago, Layla and I were in the living room starting an "art project" (it really was just a pen and some white envelops to scribble on while mommy looked up a recipe online) that I thought would be easily transferable to the kitchen and her high chair.  Little did I know that she would become attached to the decorative (somewhat large) chair that she was sitting in.  Long story short, I carried the chair into the kitchen, thinking "this is definitely NOT going to work...she'll be climbing out of it in no time and then I'll have to police her with the ink pen".  To my complete surprise, she sat in her chair drawing for 15-20 minutes straight with little to no interaction with me.  I cooked an entire meal while she scribbled!  She was completely content and so proud of her work.  I'm seriously getting this little art project framed.

THEN yesterday, Layla and I spent some much needed :-) time at the park together.  I normally stick to her like glue because I have a weird fear of her falling off the playground equipment.  Yesterday...she marched (really--she marched) right over to the steps and quickly climbed up them--she's always required help on the first step because its pretty big and she's pretty little--but not not not yesterday!  So I'm thinking in my head that she'll need help going down the slide--don't want my little baby bumping her head....but, I stayed on the ground while she went down the slide (with my hand still behind her--just in case).  Surprise...she didn't really need me....I was so proud of her--proud of her but still hanging on to what baby there is left in her (according to my mom, I'll always be doing that--HA!).

SO my independent, adventurous little "bean" is starting to sprout and I couldn't be happier to go through all these little milestones with her.  I guess for her to be independent means I'm doing my job--this "not needing" me for things is like getting a good performance review at work, right? :-)