My little girl is growing up. It is amazing to me to watch Kati Liz grow and change and evolve and explore. I am astounded by the sheer determination I see in her everyday. I truly do remember carrying her, and laboring, and birthing and that first precious moment when I got to hold her. That was 9 very very short months ago. My little one is crawling all over the house, getting into everything, and loving every minute of it. Holding her and snuggling her makes my heart melt! Sometimes I let her sleep on my lap, just so that I can hold her, and watch her while she sleeps. The force of my love for her brings tears to my eyes. She is so precious. She is my little girl. Every time she looks at me and smiles my heart turns into a little puddle! I miss my little 2 week old baby that did nothing but nap in my arms, but I love this new little adventurer! She is so brave, and determined. She wants to conquer her environment every day. Today she even crawled OVER our 90 lb lab! She has (three times) pulled a chair over on top of herself. She had tried to stick her finger in a wall outlet, and she has tried to eat the end of my computer cord (while it was live.) She sits in the dog dishes, tries to crawl down the side of the bed, and tries to eat anything (and I mean anything) left on the floor. How can such a little person, who is truly dependent on her parents for most everything in her life, be so carefree and fearless. I am so blessed to be her mom. She teaches me new things every day.

Being a mom is honestly much different then I had imagined. I thought that I would be very laid back and non worried. Well I am still pretty laid back, but I am almost always worried about something. Does that rash mean anything? Is she warm enough? How can I get her to take a nap? You know, all of those kind of things. And then there is How are we going to afford new clothes? Can we go grocery shopping AND get the bills paid? I never knew how much thought went into parenthood. Not that I mind thinking, but sometimes I feel like my brain needs a break. One minute without an ounce of worry.

Anyway, Kati is a blessing, but I am still not sure I am ready for toddlerhood. (Ok Dad, when do I get another infant?) She went from completely unable to crawl to cruising in less than a month! I swear she is trying to bypass the rest of babyhood. I am not ready my darling girl. PLEASE slow down! I want her to grow up healthy and happy and I know that means that she has to go at her own pace, but I still think she is going hell bent for leather toward toddlerhood. Thankfully she is so adorable in the process I cannot help but smile!

The love in my heart for this little human being amazes even me. I never thought I could love someone this much. I love my husband more than my own body, and I realize that I am his and he is mine. But motherhood, wow, it sends a whole new spin on the word LOVE. I truly think my heart would stop if I did not have my little girl in my life. She is the most important thing to me right now. I love holding her, watching her, talking to her, feeding her, changing her, giving her baths. She is this little bundle of fulfillment and joy in my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Babies are a lot of work, yes, but the rewards that you reap, watching them smile and watching them grow is positively amazing!