afraid to forget

I wish I could bottle Minnie up exactly as she is right now and keep her that way forever.
Look at those teeth! One day braces will push those two pearly whites together and Dave Letterman will no longer be her doppleganger.
It will be a sad day in my book.
My journal has been seriously neglected over the last year of her life and so this blog is now where I document the little person Min is becoming.
And guess what? I've done a terrible job lately. And guess what else? I'm already forgetting a lot of little things she used to do that I swore I would never forget.

So, if you'll indulge me, I want to share just a few of my favorite things about Minnie at 14 months.

• She goes to anyone. She has no fear and loves to meet new people. If you're new, her arms go straight out for you to hold her. She'll also whisper sweet little nothings in your ear if you're really lucky, which about melts me right into a big puddle on the floor.
• She LOVES to dance. It's as if she almost can't stop her body from moving when she hears a beat. Her favorite song lately is "2 Become 1" by Spice Girls. Yes, Robert put that on a mix for me and we listen to it sometimes. So sue me if I still like myself some Spice Girls occasionally.
• She can pull some of the meanest little faces this side of the Mississippi. Robert says they remind him of faces I make, and I take offense to that.
• All food is "nana" meaning banana, probably because she eats like 5 bananas a day. It works for now.
• Everything is a telephone and she will have full blown conversations with who knows who for a minute or two. "Hi" is still her favorite word, but lately she's started to say hello (more like heh-woah) and it is fantastic. I think she's going to have a little speech impediment and I can't wait. They're adorable!
• She's pretty good at using uh oh, baby, amen, thank you, no, mama, dada, nose, bye-bye, and she also says mmmmm or yummy after she takes a bite. 
• She gives great hugs and open-mouth kisses.
• The bath is her happy place. She becomes a wild little mermaid in that tub. 
• She loves to read and will grab a book, hand it to me, and then back her little booty up towards me to sit on my lap. It makes me laugh every time.
• At bed time she is a superb little cuddler. She's getting so big so I can't quite cradle her like I used to, but she'll lean on my chest with her arms around my neck and give me a few pats on the back as she drifts off to sleep. Those pats are what I live for.

I feel so lucky to be this little girl's mom. Mom! I, Laura Collard, am a mother. It's still hard for me to believe sometimes. There are days when it's tough and I get tired or wish I had a job outside the home, but at the end of the day I realize I'm doing exactly what I want to do. I'm a mom and I feel so privileged to be able to stay home with my little bug. My favorite moment of the day is right before we put Minnie down for bed and the three of us are lounging on our bed. Minnie is usually rolling around wrestling or playing peek-a-boo with the pillows with Robert, and it is in that moment that my heart about bursts right out of my chest with gratitude. I am so happy. I'm so excited to continue to watch Minnie grow and change and to see what is on the horizon for our little family.