Hold still will you!

Oh my has life gotten fun! We have officially hit the wiggly squiggly age of independence. I have learned how to diaper the child as she is crawling away from me as she gives me just enough time to get the diaper off before she is ready to go. And I do mean just enough to get the diaper off. I have been know to chase the child across the floor with a wipe saying " Get your tush back over here, I don't want pooh all over the place." Perhaps that is too much information still it is 100% truth. Dave cracks up as he watches me struggle at times to get a diaper back on that little butt. Of course he laughs because he changes a diaper on average of once a millennium and so for him it is funny.
A is a whiz bang boom crawler now. And by that I mean whiz she is over to explore something she shouldn't be, bang she tumbled something over on her head, and boom her little temper erupted. It is all we can do to keep up with her anymore as she explores the world around her. We finally resorted to a child gate to keep her out of the kitchen while I am cooking... but that really ticked her off, and does so still every time that it goes up. She has quite a memory and is not in any way impressed by our measly attempts at hiding things that she wants from her, amateurs that we are. She just goes around or climbs up to get what she wants.

Did you catch the word climb there.... OH YES SHE DOES! She climbs anything that gives her half a foot hold. The child cannot walk yet but she has climbed the shelves in the bathroom, the highchair rungs and various other items that give her purchase. Walking is not far into the future though, lest you think that perfecting her mountain climbing technique has paused her even slightly. She can stand by herself in the middle of the room now and has been known to stand up by herself with nothing to hold onto for balance. She is braver and braver as she gauges distances and figures her chances on getting to point B from point A. She has the bruises to prove it. On any given day there is a new purple blotch added to the browning older blotches on her face. Her knees are a mass of bruises as she cannot be bothered to move a single item in her path. She simply bulldozes her way over it all giving it a kick for good measure when she has left it in the dust.
I do not have many new pictures of her as all of them that I have tried to take have ended in one of several ways: A) I have a picture of her crawling away from me and instead of a cute baby smile we get a diaper padded butt moving as fast in the other direction as it can. B) I get a picture of somebody holding what looks like a continually fussy baby as she flattens herself and protests the confinement of babies around the world at the top of her lungs. C) I get a really great photo of whatever happens to be in the path of the viewfinder when I drop the camera to save my little Lewis or Clarke... Perhaps she is Sacajawea. I have considered taking photos while she is asleep so that every one can see how much she has grown, but my own selfishness has convinced me that even parents deserve a little down time, and I am afraid the flash would wake her. And there are only so many highchair pictures that we can take before people wonder if eating is all she does.
She has learned so many cute social things lately. We marvel endlessly at how cute she is. She has learned to blow raspberries on a person now. And will also scratch a person with her little fingernails while saying " Tee tee tee" She gets a real bang out of it when her victim laughs. She spent 15 minutes last night giving the baby in the mirror kisses. She also hands out the baby hugs liberally if you sit with her on the floor for any amount of time. She has a mischief maker smile that steals your heart away, and a glare that could fell a grown man. She uses both as needed and has learned when to use them most effectively. She knows who to kiss up to and she is not averse to pouting to get her way... although she is embarrassed if anyone other than mom sees her. Hourly she shows us a new skill and all but glows with pride when we make a big deal over her.
I've warned you all before but it bears repeating....

Watch out world A is coming and I am not sure that the world is ready for her!

Mom's Addiction

There is no smell in this world that is as soothing as the smell of a baby. Fresh baked butter rich chocolate chip cookie reassurance, with an eggy hint of vanilla rice pudding comfort, and the undertone of brown sugar oatmeal with cinnamon warmth invites you to press your nose to that little head and draw in the heady scent until stars dance before your eyes. The aroma makes you drunk with baby cuddle happiness. Often at night I lay with her long after she has nodded off in a Baby Magic induced trance, dazed with gratitude at how lucky I am to be her mother.

I have yet to find anything as soft as a baby's skin. The rich buttery suppleness of kid leather with muted whispers of satin silkiness and the warm invitation of crushed velvet beckons to the fingertips. When it has been a particularly tough day for us I nurse A skin to skin. Kangarooed together we let that snug peacefulness soothe us. My active little girl lays quietly after nursing, nuzzling close wanting to prolong that tranquility and enjoy the love that flows between us so easily. Burrowed there the outside world falls away from us, and we find true serenity.

It is said that a mother can recognize her child while blindfolded, by scent alone. I know this truth intimately, as I find myself addicted to the feel and smell of my child. Half-way through a trip to the store I ache for the sweet tang of her familiar aroma. My fingers twitch at the babies I see in the store, longing for the velvety feel of my own daughter's skin. Before I am finished with my shopping I am fixated on getting home, the addict franic for the next high. I race home to be with her and cannot find contentment until I have her in my arms.

From the second she was born A has given me more than I could ever hope or ask for. As I held her I discovered for the first time the true meaning of unconditional love. As I looked down at her I realized what gratitude truly feels like. Every day since her first she has taught me something new. Through her I have come to understand: wonder, awe, love, and gratitude. With her by my side I have experienced true graciousness, humility, generosity, and serenity. Most of all though she has taught me what it is to be truly and unquestionably happy.