i LOVE babies, i always have. 14 years of infertility only served to heighten my appreciation of their charms....
the charms which are so fleeting. like spring daffodils, they bloom and are gone almost before you realize it. being a mother of teenagers has also increased my awareness of this pheonomenon. i wish that i could freeze them in time, or even go back in time to visit the stages that i didn't fully appreciate at the time, or would savor even more today.
i have believed that each one of my babies was special and amazing....and i have been
right, because each and every baby is a unique miracle. i think i have appreciated that miracle more & more with each baby. and yet i have a feeling that i can't escape, a feeling that tells me i still haven't figured it out, that i haven't fully understood the incredible value of each precious little individual, each perfect spirit, sent down in faith and hope for a beautiful life, from above. i heard once that a mother of ten said, "after number four they are all the same". to me, my number five is every bit as amazing & surprisingly unique as my first four.
gracie will be 11 months tomorrow. she decided to walk last week on noah's birthday. she had an audience of grandparents, and it seemed as good a time as any to her. but not to me. i want to keep savoring each moment of her little baby-ness and stretch it out a little longer.....just a little longer....PLEASE!
gracie and i took these photos two weeks ago, before she walked. i felt i needed to capture her in her baby state before it flew away.
gracie's list of especially unique & precious qualities include:
hands that are like butterfly wings and have been since birth. they flutter and fly and touch you ever so softly.
she sings. she loves to sing, holding out notes and making the most of her voice. if i say "sing" to her, she does a "little mermaid" impression, and does it very well.
she is affectionate and cuddly, and says "i love you" - honestly, she does.
she is an artist, and grabs hold of any paper and writing instrument that she can find. i have discovered that a magna-doodle is a safe way to feed her artistic urges.
she loves to help, from cleaning up legos with mia & noah to helping me put the laundry in the dryer (because i have teenagers, and a 7 year old, i am not so naive as to think that this will last)
she has a serious nature, but a happy one, with unexpected sense of humor
(wearing noah's swim goggles)
(wearing mia's underwear on her head - this is a favorite of gracie's - she steals those underpants whenever she's able) - she may be a good match for captain underpants Glor!
i would gladly have more babies if i am able.
notes on gracie's quilt: i bought the yummy fabric (it's that great linen blend feedsack-like fabric that I have only found in japan) just before finding out for certain that she was a girl (which took forever in japan). here is the quilt in its infancy.