You're growing so fast

This morning you woke at 5:00 a.m. You were crying so hard. Maybe you had a bad dream. Or perhaps your mouth was sore from the teeth that are trying to break their way through. But whatever the reason, you were crying so that your breath was shuddering and when I came in the room and took you in my arms, you laid your head on my shoulder and burrowed your body close to mine, as though you couldn't get close enough. We sat in your rocking chair and we we rocked and I brushed my fingers through your hair and tried to sooth you.

While we rocked, I thought of special moments we had shared. I remembered how we were walking in the park and how you smiled at the trees when the wind blew them and they waved their leaves at you. And how you listened so closely when the breeze blew again and the leaves whispered and told you their secrets.

You are climbing up and down the jungle gyms, sliding down the slides and running down hills. Your favorite is to play in the wood chips and wander about exploring.

So many things you have accomplished in the past six months. You had a birthday and climbed the mountain of gifts. You dance and sing and eat with a spoon. You love to play a piano and a kazoo. You give your Daddy a kiss every morning when he leaves for work, and then you seriously (and sometimes forcefully) turn his head so that he can kiss me too. You play with the girl in the mirror, flirting and kissing, sticking out your tongue and laughing.

You tell us "here you go" when you hand us something. Baby, no, cheese, and kitty are your favorite vocabulary words right now. You like to arrange the pens in their pot like flowers. You carry a bag on your arm as though you were born to do it. You give your snuggle buddies rides on your rocking horse and sometimes you give complete strangers hugs.

You spent your summer swimming in the pool and rode in an airplane. You went to the beach, then the mountains. I swear, you travel better than any of us.

You like to pretend to cook, stirring your pot and sharing tastes of the stew. You also want to step in and out of baskets or boxes...because you can. You like to throw a ball and chase it.

I get a kiss every day before I lay you in your bed for nap and nighttime.