Everyday Smiles

I have said pretty much at every month and every stage "THIS is my favorite stage/age" and have truly meant it every time. It is just unreal to me how amazing motherhood is and how much better it gets by the day. Seriously, by-the-day. I cannot recall a day where I have been so frustrated with her where I just needed to walk away for a minute, or a day where I have thought "wow, that was a tough one!" I've tried to approach mommyhood from the perspective that we are both learning each other. This approach has really lowered my frustration (and possibly her's too).

So I'm now starting to document WHY I think each of these stages are my favorite. In general, I think it's because I love learning more about our miracle and the amazing person she already is. Right now I know she is sweet, mischievous, curious, funny, patient, an excellent communicator, wonderful with imaginative play, great at mimicking/aping, and silly. Oh, and she ADORES her Daddy!

I also know that she loves bath time, she loves babies (in fact, 'baby' was her first word), she loves Chica (on PBS's Sprout preschool show), she loves books, she loves raisins, she loves ketchup, she loves peanut butter, she loves her daddy, and she loves playing with cups, and she enjoys balls-- big pink bouncy balls, tiny bouncy balls, golf balls, balls that she can propel put of her toy airplane that our good friends Laura and Will gave her for her first birthday, and the balls that go to her Elefun toy that Santa brought to her on Christmas.

But, above all, I know that she makes my heart and soul laugh and smile every single day.