Spring!

The weather here has been gorgeous lately! I have been taking Charla outside as much as possible. We've been going for walks (sometimes 2-3 per day!), playing ball and she's been riding her bike around. My husband is going to be building her a swing set in the next week or 2. Last summer, swinging was her most favorite outdoor thing to do. I'm also hoping to take her to a park sometime this week.

Walks this year are so much different than they were last summer. This year she can walk all the way around the block without having to go in the stroller. Her favorite things to point out are pine cones and dog poop. She likes to talk about puddles, planes and buses as we walk. Whenever we pass by a puppy she will say, "hi puppy". When we first start out on a walk she will take the lead. Soon though she will get side tracked. She stops to explore the grass, trees, rocks and whatever else catches her eye. Most of the time I'm not in a hurry and will allow her the time she needs to explore. I love watching her take everything in!

Today, Charla turned 22 months old. When I look at her, I can still see the tiny baby I brought home from the hospital almost 2 years ago. However, now I can also see the little girl she is turning into. She is learning and doing something new every day. Her imaginative play has started to shine through and she makes me smile every time I see her giving her baby doll a kiss, putting her dollhouse dolls to bed or making her farm animals eat their hay. I am so excited to watch her grow and meet milestones. A small part of me though wants to rewind time. I want to hold her tiny body again and stroke her silky hair, breathe in her baby smell.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to hold a little baby. My sister-in-law asked me if holding him made me miss holding Charla. This question made me think because as much as I enjoyed holding him, he curled into me different than she did, he smelled different than she did and I honestly felt a bit awkward holding him. So yes, holding him did make me miss Charla because I know I will never again have the opportunity to hold her in that way. Time goes too fast sometimes.