Be Mine... Valentine

This past month has been a whirlwind and I've loved every minute of it. Many people have told me how sad it is that babies grow up so fast. It is sad, but it's more fun and exciting to watch you learn and grow every day.

We get a lot of Mommy-Daughter time and I have loved getting to be a part of every milestone you've hit and die every time your face lights up when I walk into the room. But some of my favorites...

Every morning after you eat breakfast, I lay you on your changing pad by the window. After you're all cleaned up and dressed, we open the curtains and blinds. You roll onto your tummy and just watch out the window. Nothing exciting ever happens - well, once a neighbor was jump-starting his car - but you like to stare at the sky and tall grass.

We lay on our backs and read stories. I lay you down first and you're usually confused until I lay down next to you. I pull out a book to read but instead of looking at the book, you turn and look at me with the biggest eyes and biggest smile. It melts my heart every time. If I'm being honest, that's why we lay on our backs to read because I love the way you look at me.

You're an expert jumperoo bouncer. The moment your feet touch the floor, you're off bouncing away a million miles a minute. Lucy and Mommy play chase around you and you love to watch how fast Lucy can run, but even more so, you love when she stops and sits in front of you. Just sits. For some reason it makes you laugh and laugh and laugh.

You get a kick out of riding in your carrier and helping Mommy do chores. We make the bed, cook dinner, vacuum or do laundry. You're the best little helper. Once you even went an hour past your naptime just happily kicking away while we danced around the house.

You exercise with Mommy every morning and jump in your Jumperoo while Mommy does aerobics. Every time I do floor work and lay on my mat, you suddenly stop jumping and just stare at me. When I catch you staring, I make eye contact and smile, sometimes saying hi and you get the biggest grin.

You get completely lost exploring Mommy and Daddy's faces with your hands - squeezing our nose, patting our eyes or grabbing our lips. We have to make sure to keep your fingernails as short as possible these days. You, also, love to play with our fingers and interlace your little ones between ours.

You are getting so grown up. I'm amazed at how quickly you learned to sit up by yourself to eat dinner or watch Baby Einsteins (although you do topple over once in a while). You ate your first full bowl of rice cereal and sweet potatoes tonight and we couldn't be more proud of you. You still love bath time, we gave you your first bath without a tub and you loved it.

We are so lucky to be your parents and are so grateful to get to see you grow. I'm so grateful I get you to be mine forever.

Love you Baby Girl.