One More Week.

There's something so relaxing about wrapping gifts, for birthdays or Christmas. The process of cutting and sticking, folding in corners and seeing the prezzies stacking up, ready for eager hands to tear into. It's exciting to think that in one very short week, we'll be celebrating V's first birthday, see her open her first gifts and cards, crack into a cake and officially be ONE. Exciting and a little bittersweet.

It feels cliché to say that the time goes so quickly, the years pass with frightening speed when you have a baby, but it's true. Over weeks and days you see this little creature, so small and dependent, grow and change with alarming speed. Within three weeks of taking her first steps, V was walking 90% of the time. Now she barely crawls at all, prefering to potter along beside us. Insaaaaane. She is constantly absorbing and learning, every week a new expression, gesture, a different word understood. She's gone from needing to be held all the time to wanting to be down, running, playing, away from Mumma (but not too far!). She's a happy child and that makes us happy.

I don't look at her and see a little baby any more, although as my own Mum said "She will always be your baby!". I see a rambunctious, noisy, often sticky child who is full of beans, smiles and life. She loves to play, bringing us teddies to cuddle and her toy phone - I've never had so many conversations! The time may fly but her energy, her spirit, keeps me young, wanting to play and smile and giggle with her. She is beautiful and weird and awesome and though she's not a baby any more, I'm holding off on her official 'toddler' title until her birthday.

Love, K.