Loving the little things :)

Being Emilia's Mom (that STILL sounds just crazy) means I get to know and love all the little things about her. I'll share a few of these ordinary and extraordinary things so you can fall in love with her a little more too...

The way she gets excited to go into a public bathroom so she can shout and hear the echo. Even while I'm trying to get her to shout more "quietly" as to not alarm the ladies that may be using the facilities, I'm smiling.

The enthusiasm she shows EVERY TIME she sees an airplane, announcing, "O-PLANE!" and then putting her arms out from her sides and pretending to fly while imitating the sound, "Ssshhooooo". And them spotting a second one, and with the same enthusiasm, saying, "There's another one! BIG ONE!" Or even better, hearing one from inside the house and saying, "I wanna see 'em" while running towards one of the windows.

The way she has recently added, "awhile" or "a bit" to the things she wants to do. "I want to play awhile" or "I want to read a bit" Or when she decides she's would rather have one of us over the other, she says, "Mommy's turn" or "Daddy's turn." I'm still trying to encourage her to think it should be "Daddy's turn" every time it comes to diaper changes.

When you ask her a question, to which the answer is yes, and she'll reply, "Yeah. Umm, hmm. Umm, hmm." while nodding her head.

How every time you're bending down and a little of your back is showing, she'll run over and lift your shirt and her's to give you a big bear hug, back skin to tummy skin. She just loves the skin to skin contact. It's the funniest thing and we're not sure where it came from? It's cute now...but Grandpa said it best..."It won't be cute when she's 15!" Ha ha!

Her fear of "stinky toe jams!" She will lift her feet right up to eye level and examine her little toes to be sure there is nothing hiding in there. If there is a tiny piece of sock lint in there, she makes a terrified face, says "I don't like the sticky toe jams" and grunts for your assistance until she has inspected them again and confirms they are free of jammers and it's "all better!"

Her requests for books and shows are not by the title, but by the phrase used most throughout. For example, the book "Love You Forever" has a little song that the mommy sings to her son every night. If you know the book, you know what I'm referring to. So when Emilia requests this book, she asks for, "Love you forever, like you always, my baby you'll be...!" And after naps, she'll come out into the living room and state, "I want Sunny Days - Clouds Away!" Yeah - we all want the same thing, right? Well - she's not referring to the weather. She wants to watch Sesame Street!

I could go on forever. Being a mommy is such an amazing gift. I am thankful everyday for this blessing in life and for the healthy, beautiful, smart and happy little girl I get to call my daughter. Each day is different than the last - many challenging and exhausting - but many more rewarding and incredibly wonderful.