It's all worthwhile in the end

Days like today make all the horror Miss K has been through in the past week worthwhile. There is no pain today, only lots of smiles. Its funny how quickly I forget how energetic and inquisitive my little girl is, but it is so nice to see a smile on her face again, after so many days of tears. Right now she is jumping around the room in her walker (yes Miss K travels by jumping instead of walking) and yelling at the top of her voice like she doesn't have a care in the world. (And given that she's only 11 months old, she probably doesn't).

Today is Miss K's 11 month un-birthday. Because she has done so much growing and developing in her first year, on her un-birthday each month, I like to take photos of her, and write down the milestones that she has hit since her last un-birthday, so that one day when all of this is a distant memory I can look back and remember all the little things she went through that amazed me at the time. Already it's hard to believe that there was a time when eating puréed foods wasn't a part of every day life, and yet already we have moved on to finger foods and are preparing to wean her off the bottle. This month I have a pretty big milestone to record because this morning for the first time, she was able to stand up using the wall for support instead of a piece of furniture. This is something she has watched her cousin do countless times, but she has never been able to find the courage or the balance to do herself. With that simple move, we are one step closer to walking.

My sister told me yesterday that it is important not to focus so much on all the negative stuff, and more on the positive stuff because I'll miss it all when she grows up, which happens much too quick. The sad thing is there is a lot that I miss already. I especially miss lying in bed with Miss K watching her sleep on the mattress next to me. We can't do this any more because my bed is too exciting for sleeping, and she refuses to even lie down on it. But for everything we lose, we gain something else. One thing I love about Miss K now is sitting down and sharing my banana, or my toast, or my tuna mornay with her. As long as it's something that I'm eating, she loves it, and it's a very easy way to get her to eat her lunch and dinner.

Something that shocks me is that there are things that I completely don't see, even when I am looking straight at her. Ady showed me a video he took a couple of weeks ago of me bathing Miss K, and I had no idea exactly how often she looks at me when I'm washing her. I'm not sure if she's looking for explanation, or she wants to share something with me, but there are obviously glances that I miss because I'm too busy getting her cleaned up so she can have a quick play and go to bed. It just goes to show that I need to slow down and really appreciate this brief time I have with my baby girl before she grows up and leave me behind.

Well the peace and quiet I have had this morning has been at the cost of a couple of pieces of my toast and one of my craft magazines, so I guess it's time to get off the computer and clean up some mess. And stop Miss K from touching the bloody television again. GET AWAY FROM THERE YOU LITTLE MONSTER!!!! Everyone enjoy your day.