Where did my baby go?

Since I no longer write the monthly letters, I feel like time is slipping away. Maybe that's just the case. I've been told that the second year goes by a lot quicker than the first, and this morning, when I woke up, I was emotional. I was sad. I missed Jenna more than my normal Monday at work (each Monday morning is difficult realizing that I don't get to spend the day with Jenna like I did over the weekend).

I got to work, turned on my sappy mix on my iPhone and looked at the calendar. BAM. December 21, 2009. My baby girl is a year and a half old. How did she get from this...

newborn

6 months

12 months
16 months

to here!? (this photo is ~ 2 months old, I've been slow to upload). I love this age.

I love that if I even suggest the word book she grabs the one closest to her and runs over to my lap so we can read it.

I love that she sings 'Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" to herself.

I love that she'll 'read' to her snowman friends (I'll have a hard time putting them away now!) and when she does, she opens the page and says "what's DIS!? What's DIS? What's DIS!?" waiting for the snowmen to reply 'A red truck'.

I love that she's happier waving to the train as it goes by than she is to ride it.

She's now grabbing her shirt, pulling it up to suck her thumb with the shirt in the same hand and her other finger is in her belly button. Or in her ear. Or she's picking at the skin between the fingers of the hand she's sucking. I love that she's a bit odd. Just like her Mama.

I love that she's curious, and stubborn, and heartfelt. That she says "I lub ew"

I called her today, just to say hello. She's with Nanny this week. I spoke with Nanny for a bit then she put Jenna on the phone. Now, instead of just listening, she'll say "Hi, hi, hi!" I asked her to blow a kiss and she replied with kissing the phone. My heart strings have been a little bit tighter after that conversation.

So where did my baby go? Where do we go from here? I know it gets better, but I have a feeling it only goes faster from here. No longer a bean, no longer a baby... now I have a little girl and a swollen heart.

Today, I'm grateful

I didn't do a Thanksgiving post, I've been quite short on time lately. However, yesterday and today, I've had one thing on my mind... I'm so grateful for everything I have.

I'm so in love with my little girl... the smile that she's brought to my heart is indescribable. She makes my day so much better even when she's in the worst of moods. I can still stare at her little curls, her eyelashes, her baby blue eyes for hours. I still can't believe she's *ours* and we don't have to give her back. It still feels like a sleep over, like we're just 'playing house'.

I'm grateful for Nick. He's the best Dad and an even better husband. He helps out more than I do and is still able to take the time to tell me he loves me, or to tell me to sit down when I'm just too stressed out. He made the time so I could read the twilight series in peace, even though he thinks it's silly. He supports me at home, at work and is my rock. We've never been closer than we are as parents and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm happy to be an optimist. I'm happy to be me.

I'm grateful for my job. For working in an environment that encourages me and supports my creative desires and future. In turn, I do the same for them.

I'm so thankful for my family and friends. To have such a supportive network is indescribable. I'm so happy to have loving, kind, selfless people in our lives. To love and be loved is one of the best things out there... and I feel like I am loved from so many angles (home, work, life) I only hope that I'm able to love and support as thoroughly as others love and support me.

Too long, it's been too long

It's been way too long since I've posted. I've been enjoying my time with Jenna lately. This is a fun age in that she's running around, talking up a storm, can (and has) said "I lub you" with kisses and is just all around awesome. She's also throwing temper tantrums, but I'll ignore that for this gooey post.

We're in full swing this holiday season. We went to visit Santa and although she says his name and points out every stuffed Santa, Santa cartoon, etc. When we went to go visit him this year, she watched in amazement as the other kids were talking to him, telling him what they wanted for Christmas. When it was her turn, I picked her up and we headed his way.

Once we were standing next to him I asked her "Do you want to see Santa?" She replied with feverish head shaking and "No, no, NO!!" So I asked the next logical question... "Do you want to sit on his lap?" at this point, she's scrambling up my arm like a baby monkey trying to crawl on her Mom's back.

Santa suggested a photo with Mom and baby. I looked over at Nick and said "How about a FAMILY photo" (shooting daggers). Nick came and sat on Santa's right knee, I sat on his left knee (how long has it been since I've sat on Santa's lap!?) and I held Jenna to my left side... as far from the fat jolly man as possible.

We snapped a few photos and I didn't like them... I wanted to mimick last year's photo. So, I asked Santa if we could try again. He said OK and I put the munchkin on his lap. Her eyes were filled with terror and she was signing "All Done" over and over and over... also saying "No" and shaking her head back and forth. BUT Mama got her photo.... :)

Lately we've taken to driving around to look at Christmas lights. It doesn't matter if there is a single strand on the gutters or if there's a full display with reindeer and blow up snow globes... the same reaction comes from the back seat each time we pass by a lit house. "Wow, wow, WOW!!" the second that it's out of her sight this can be heard "More, please... more, PLEASE" I haven't been able to figure out how to tell her that we'll get to the next house ASAP.

She also loves the tree (when the lights are off, we tell her it's sleeping... she makes the shhhh face as to not disturb the tree). The red balled ornaments she would point out and say "Apple" and I kindly remind her that they're not apples, but they're ornaments. To which she replies with 'orddednts' (or something similar... it's hard to type out toddler speak). She also enjoys pointing out each person's stocking.

Possesion is really big to her right now. When we explain that she can't have Mommy's coffee... she points and says "Mommy's" then turns to Nicks and says "Daddy's"... same with pretty much all beverages and anything else she's not supposed to have (we tell her it's ours as to avoid her throwing fits to get it... ours = off limits... it's working, sort of).

Ahhh, she's fun. I love her. Can we keep her like this forever?