Hatscarf

Sometimes I could just eat her up.

I've been struck recently by just how much fun I have with my little girl.  Not that I ever didn't think she was fun, but the older she gets (and the more talkative and active) the more I find that the little shadow who follows me everywhere is great company, plain and simple.  I guess I didn't quite expect that, to have this kind of companionship with such a tiny, young person.  We share jokes, snacks and games.  We play, we chat, we sing, we dance.  And yes, we even yell.  

We've had about six weeks now of full-fledged walking, and while leaving those baby days behind and venturing into toddlerhood left me more than a little sad, I find myself saying it yet again; this new stage is so much fun.  

  

 

 

I love watching her walk.  She is so sassy with her little hips swinging so purposefully with each little stompy step.  She's fast, too; on Friday, while shopping at the mall, I had my first "I lost my baby!" panic attack.  She was demanding to "Alk!  Alk!" (walk) so I set her down while I literally spent three seconds finding the size on a shirt.  I looked up and she was gone.  I only had enough time to cry, "Where'd she go?  Where is she?" before a nearby saleswoman announced, laughing, "She's over here!"  Not only had she gotten thirty feet away from me, but she'd also managed to crawl under and in and display table of ugly sweaters.  Awesome.

Today we went for an afternoon walk because even though it wasn't warm, it was just so pretty outside.  We need all the walks we can get around here, and miss thing sure does love the lake near our house.  She loves to point and yell, "Bird!" (Bambi-style) and she loves the park.  Her favorite is the slide.  My normally cautious, careful, gentle child has absolutely no qualms about the biggest slides at the park.  She will send her self flying down them completely on her own, cracking up the whole way.  The swings, of course, are another favorite.

Dirt-stained knees are a passage of childhood.

  

I guess I thought this kind of thing would get boring.  But you know how you can get coffee with your favorite friend a million times and it never gets old?  That's kind of how this feels.  It's comfortable, it's warm, and it's just fun.  I'm really blessed that I get to have this life.

I love those little wisps of baby hair.

But I also love those lashes.  

  

(Speaking of having this life, her hatscarf is maybe my favorite thing ever.  Thrift store find, of course.  I think I spent a dollar or two.  I honestly don't know if I could afford to be a stay-at-home-mom if it weren't for thrift stores, hand-me-downs, and yard sales.  Her coat cost three, her leg warmers fifty cents, her shoes a couple of bucks.  Her tights came in a bag filled with probably fifty pairs of tights and socks for $4 from a yard sale.  When I walked up to hand my money to the lady, clutching my amazing find, she looked at me, nodded in respect and said, "Now here's a smart woman.")  

   

Share