One by one, the babies in our yoga class, play groups and PEPS group have left the land of immobility. I’ll watch a baby slide backwards on his tummy, or push up into downward dog not sure what to do next, or plane in frustration, prone as a snake, and then the next time I see him he will be crawling from one corner to another as fast as a door slams.

Parents will tell me how they hastened the crawl by helping the baby to move, crawling with her, or holding her in position. But I’m in no hurry. I feel like this particular milestone is already closing in fast enough.

At first I thought it was babyproofing that was daunting me. But I’ve had the gates, the cabinet locks, the jack covers and the table cushions up for months now. Am I dreading chasing after her? Absolutely, though I am excited about losing those last 12 pregnancy pounds.

I guess I’ve just loved this last stage so much, and I’m sad to see it coming to an end. Little Q was one of the first to sit up, so I’ve had a long time to get used to this period of resting side by side, taking in the world together. We cuddle a lot, and she points at things while cooing at me. She reaches up for a lock of my hair, and gazes at it, utterly fascinated for a moment or two.

She will prop herself up onto the table for awhile, or work a bit on her downward dog, but she’ll scoot right back to me, spinning elaborate yarns of baba, leelee, and the perennial mamama. She pulls up right into my face to whisper them into my ear. Then she moves back to the floor, pushing up into crawl position. I hold my breath. Is this it? The end of our golden era? She pushes down again, rolls onto her back and lets out a little giggle. I’m relieved to have a few moments more with this little baby, who is already growing up far too fast.

This post originally ran on Moms Alive on March 28, 2010.