C'mon little girl, put that down.

As our daughter approaches the point where her time spent out of the womb will equal her time spent in it, I'm transfixed by her learning process(es). Whether it's opening my cellphone and thumb-dialing in order to keep the screen lit, using both hands to take a swig of water in between mouthfuls of sticky cereal or just old-fashioned crawling, each developmental milestone impresses the hell out of me. Coming, as they do, after many half-starts and missteps, these achievements are hard-won signs of a robust and rapidly-maturing creature whose astounding potential is matched only by her terrifying fragility.

I'm not just impressed by my kid — though she is awesome beyond description — I'm blown away by the human form.