Holdin' my own

I'm sure everyone has heard the expression "holding my own" at some point in their lives. People use this phrase in a variety of situations and in many different contexts. But has anyone actually told you what it really means? I don't believe anyone has ever truly defined the phrase for me. Over the years, I've just inferred its meaning by the context in which people used it.

I actually looked up the phrase to see if I could find its origin and true definition. Many people have their own ideas about where the phrase first started. One person claimed that it originated from sailing ships where a weak or inadequate person would not be allowed to hold a rope unassisted. If they were qualified, they could "hold their own" rope. Others say that it means "to stand your own ground, to not let life, or anyone else for that matter, push you around." As per the Oxford English Dictionary: "to maintain one's position against a competitor or an opposing force of any kind; to stand one's ground." While I'm still not sure the actual origin, I like the "opposing force" definition. The good ol' Oxford folks did me proud.

Lately, this phrase has taken on a more literal definition for me. Alli has recently started to hold her own bottle! She's been able to hold it up with some assistance for almost a month now, but just recently she's been going at it completely solo. She still hasn't grasped the concept that the bottle has to be turned upside down in order for anything to come out, but she definitely has the strength (and now the coordination) to hold it up on her own when she's eating. She now recognizes the bottle when we hold it close to her; and she leans towards it to grab it with both hands.

It's very cute seeing her hold it all by herself now, but it makes me sad at the same time because it just shows how fast she's growing up. It seems like just last week she was up all night, barely able to do anything on her own. Now she's sleeping a solid 9-10 hours a night, rolls all the way over whenever she feels like it and can hold her own bottle for almost the entire meal!

So I guess in her case, the "opposing force" is really just gravity... but I think it's safe to say that Alli truly is holding her own.