My toddler and I don’t share a room anymore and honestly, I wasn’t prepared

Last night I had that moment that all parents encounter at one stage or another.

That moment when you look down at your child and realise that your baby isn't a baby anymore. They may still be little. They may still need you, but it's not in the way they used to. That time has been and gone and it's always a hard pill to swallow. Since the day she was born, my daughter has always shared a bedroom with me. Every morning when she would wake up, I would take her out of the cot and bring her in beside me to snuggle. When she got older, she started to climb out of the cot herself so I would wake up to her lying on the pillow beside me. Last night, when I glanced in at her in her own room, it dawned on me that I wouldn't wake up to her in the cot beside me and my heart sank a little. I know she can still toddle into my room in the morning but it will be different. My little girl is growing up. It's a strange feeling as a parent when you realise that your child is better prepared for these life changes than you are. My little girl happily took to having her own room, while I can't help notice the empty space that her crib used to occupy in mine. Babies don't stay babies for long. One minute they're a newborn and then you blink and they're starting school. I know that this feeling of 'where did my baby go' will only become more regular in the future but at the same time, I'm really looking forward to seeing the little person that she will become.