The few nap breaks I have had (when not in the car between stuff) I have been using to try to still be the best wife that I can be. Thankfully though, I know my wonderful mother in law is coming over this afternoon to watch Grace, just so I can get caught up on many of the household chores, so I feel like I can use this nap break to share some of the many wonderful little moments that we have experienced over the last week.
"The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions -- the little soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment, and the countless infinitesimal of pleasurable and genial feeling. " -Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"Human felicity is produced not as much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day. " - Benjamin Franklin
"It isn't the big pleasures that count the most, it's making a great deal out of the little ones."- Jean Webster
Most of these moments don't have pictures... because I was enjoying the moment.
I love seeing Blake as a dad, both how he plays with her, how he makes her laugh, but also the excitement that she shows every time she sees him come home from work.
I love seeing both sets of grandparents with her, and all of the joy she is bringing to the family as a whole.
I love how she will spontaneously play peek a boo, in whatever way she can, which sometimes means her just grabbing a tiny part of her shirt and saying, "a boo" because she hasn't mastered the "peek" part yet.
I love the game that we play where she tries to crawl away, and Blake or I catch her and hug her, kiss her, and just shower her with affection while she just laughs and laughs (until it is time to play again).
I love how when she is awake when we arrive somewhere, and we go to get her out of her carseat, she starts laughing and smiling just by seeing us at the car window.
I love watching her learn and grow everyday, and seeing all of the new stuff she can do, and wondering what new thing she will do next. Her latest is while waving goodbye to someone, she has added a "ba, ba" and is trying to copy us in saying "bye."
It is so sweet to see her get excited over things like her formula bottle or her bath time, where she really lets you see that she wants it, and is excited to have it.
It is great to see her start to communicate with us more, by learning how to shake her head no (which she does often), and in turn, reducing the number of tantrums.
I am so proud when she shows that she understands what I mean by no, and stops what she was doing because I told her to.
Though it can be hard at times, I love that she truly prefers Blake or I over others when she has the choice. Our bonding time worked, and though she is fine with babysitters, she always wants us when we come back, and if we are there with the babysitter (grandparents) she will frequently still choose us. For example, I was shopping with my mother in law, and Grace was fine being with her and playing with her for a little bit, but after a few rounds of me going to change clothes and coming back, she decided she needed to be with me. So sweet (hard for shopping purposes... but I really felt like a mom).
I was excited to hear that she is almost on the standard growth chart for her age (ALMOST hitting the 3rd percentile for her age... but still almost on the chart). Also, she has grown an inch in the time we've had her!
We find joy in the morning temperature check, when we see that for another day, it isn't a fever.
We found joy in the fact that she went up a size in diapers.
We find joy every time she wants to walk or stand partially because it makes her so excited, but also because we know it means that her feet aren't hurting her (which would be a sign of a crisis).
In non-Grace related little moments:
It is exciting and strange to me every time I feel our little boy move inside of me. So far, it isn't a definite kick or a punch, but more of the feeling of someone has a paintbrush and is painting me from the inside. Every time, I wonder what he is up to in there, and what I am feeling him do.
It was exciting the other day when a stranger commented on our expecting another (besides Grace) because it means I am truly showing, and I am no longer in the stage of people wondering if it is fat or pregnancy.
I find joy in seeing our garden grow. I find joy in every ripe strawberry I pick. This week we had the extra excitement of having our first home grown tomato on our salad :
Life with a child (and being pregnant) isn't easy, and there are still many doctor's appointments every week, and part of this week has been spent obtaining and delivering multiple stool samples from her to the doctor (not one of the moments of joy). But when I look back at our week together, I don't remember all the negatives, I remember the smiles.
Those quotes above are so true. Our week didn't have huge momentous events, it had lots of little ones. But those little moments are so precious and it has never been more apparent than it is now as a mom, because I can see that every day she changes, and learns and does something new. I need to treasure her crawling, because someday she will be walking. I need to laugh and soak in her not-quite-words-yet language because eventually she will be talking. I need to enjoy the moments that she is so needy it is almost frustrating because she will be independent one day.
Most importantly, I need to rejoice and remember this time together, because in just a few more months, it won't just be the two of us together during the day, I will have to share my time with two kids. I know that time will come with new moments as he learns and grows, and moments of the beauty of siblings, but for now, I will enjoy my little girl, and all the little moments that she brings.
"The
happiness of life is made up of minute fractions -- the little soon
forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heartfelt
compliment, and the countless infinitesimal of pleasurable and genial
feeling." - See more at:
http://quotationsbook.com/quotes/tag/things_and_little_things/#sthash.m8NzzZHs.dpuf
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