One Month Home: Mother's Day

Wow.  The giggles.  The mischief.  That smile and those dimples.   Snuggles and babble.  The climbing and stacking and running and banging.  Peek-a-boo.  Those crazy curls.  The cute outfits. The tantrums.  Oh my, the tantrums.

The list goes on.

As I write, our daughter is circling the island in our kitchen, laughing every time she comes around to me.  She just laughed herself into such a fit she fell down.  Just one of the memories I wish I could bottle up from this past month as a family. That way, down the road when we are in a different phase and it's difficult to recall how I feel now, I could just open that bottle up.  I'm scared that time is going by so quickly, and it kills me to know I can't adequately capture these precious moments in words or pictures. 

How to explain one's first month as a mom? A mom of a 13 month old.  How to express the inexpressible love,  joy, frustration and feelings of inadequacy? How to express the admiration and passion towards my husband, the father of our child? And how to explain the exhaustion!  I can't.  I can only tell it, in hopes that in later years, re-reading the experiences and looking little Lainey in pictures will put me back in this time, if only for a moment.

It's so much fun to live in a neighborhood with other children.  This night, we all played in the cul de sac together.  All too soon, Lainey will be riding this trike on her own...

...but not yet!

This girl loves to climb in things.

And under things.

I love her giggle.  It makes me laugh out loud every time.

And have you ever seen a prettier profile?

Usually all smiles...

but sometimes tantrums.

Boone and Lainey are decent friends.
Especially when one has something the other wants, like food or stuffed animals.

Daddy picked out these shoes.  Jeans and sparkles!

Playing with Tyler at his house.

Tyler has a lot of fun toys!  Play room, sandbox and more!

Dawgs, baby.

Chillin' with her boy, Ronan, the cutest white baby boy she knows under a year old!

Sometimes eggs are a hit in the morning.

Pizza, lasagna and spaghetti are always good.

First (of many?) boating trip with the Bruyas.

How big is Lainey?  SO BIG!!

Face Time with Grandma and Opa.

I might be a little in love with this sweet thing!

Ty bought this dress for L to wear on Mother's Day for me, from Lainey.  And a card!