These photos are nearly a year apart. August 20, 2014 on the left and August 17, 2015 on the right. My baby is a little girl and it's only when I see the side-by-side comparison that it really hits home. She's as chatty as they come and talking to her is probably my favorite activity (aside from pulling her hair into tiny "piggies" which are somehow double the cuteness as one "pony.")
This year, in an attempt to hold on to bits of her babyhood, have been journaling her antics in a custom book I had made that's titled "I want to remember..." I am about halfway through the book right now with less than half the year to go, so I'm committed to writing every night (as much as possible) to finish it off before 2016. (I'll order two next year, one for each girl.)
Below is a small sampling of some of the entries...
JAN 1 : when I blow out the candles after dinner, E says "bye!"
JAN 19 : we watched "tale as old as time" on youtube and E was scared of the beast and came to sit on my lap. Then when Belle came out in the yellow dress, she gasped in delight.
FEB 16 : this past weekend was the best. Paul had President's Day off and we were all home together. We installed blackout shade in Ellerie's room and the sleep has been a bit better. We also spent a lot of time together working on the garden and backyard. Ellerie was content to play. Oh man, we have waited for these days. I told Paul today that this this parenthood gig is feeling...easy. ed note: the next weekend I found out I was pregnant. ;)
MAR 14 : yesterday you pointed to a farmer in your book. I said "farmer" and you said "e-i-e-i-o?"
APR 7 : you tried to pick up all your stuffed animals at once but declared them too "heavy."
JUN 3 : after bath you lined up all your toys on the side of the tub (there were four) and counted, "one, two, three, two, three."
JUN 16 : I was making dinner and E pulled the pot lid out of the cupboard and said "quinoa!" then took out the strainer and said "pasta!"
JUL 16 : I went into your room after naptime and you were making a kissy fish face. "I'm Nemo!" you said.
AUG 14 : picked up e from daycare and these are the words she said from the door until she was in her carseat: "stairs! ice cream? ice cream? books! stickers! backpack! puppies! kitties! ice cream?"
Yep, it's all over the place. I talk to Ellerie and about Ellerie. My handwriting is a hot mess. There are full weeks skipped and then in an attempt to compensate, long paragraphs written. But reading through it is a joy. It's been less than a year and I've forgotten most of these tiny details already. I can't imagine reading them 20 years from now.