It Happens in a Blink.

***Note-I have been a HUGE blog slacker lately. Being the over-thinker that I am,  I try too hard to come up with something profound to say every time I write a post, when really, it doesn't matter at all.  In fact, I'm positive that no one misses, nor cares about my ramblings. :) One of my personal goals is to try to blog at least once a week...that way when I'm old and can't remember things, I can look back and reminisce. ***

This is my big 18 month-old girl.  Who went to Mother's Day Out for the first time this week:

She didn't cry at all when I left her.  Of course, I got choked up and had to put my sunglasses on when I was walking out of the building so the other moms wouldn't see me crying and judge me. :)

Where does the time go, people?!  One day she's a newborn and all of a sudden she's going to "school", talking, throwing fits and acting like a toddler!

I love that we're starting to see more of who Anneliese Louise Madole is.  I love her little voice that says, "Momma!" seven million times a day and her little pointer finger that shakes at Spike as she says, "No! No!" to him.  Her vocabulary is growing every day.  She tries to repeat almost everything I say (note to self:  stop cussing...even under your breath because you will DIE if she repeats it!), even if it doesn't sound anything like the word I just said.  It kind of reminds me of the Friends episode when Phoebe is trying to teach Joey to speak French.  I'll say, "Go Pokes!", she'll say "Po Popes!", or I'll say, "I love you" and she'll say "I ove ooo!"

Girlfriend has also become quite the fish this Summer.  I was nervous in May/early June when she ran away from the sprinkler and baby pool like they were monsters out to get her, but after a couple of trips to Mimi and Papa's pool, she was hooked.  Now, she'll hardly let me touch her in the pool...she wants to float around and kick her legs.

She also has NO fear when it comes to jumping into the water.  She'll just walk right off the edge of the pool and expect that I'll be there to catch her.  Heaven help me.

As always, Annie is very social.  She likes to make new friends wherever we go.  She'll say, "Eye! (Hi)" and wave to random people in the store, in restaurants or wherever we are.  She's also started saying "Bye!" and will keep saying it until someone says it back to her.  Even when I'm on the phone with someone, she'll say "Bye!" after she hears me say it at the end of the call.  Sweet, silly girl.

Even though this age has been the most challenging so far, it is fun to see the little girl Annie is becoming.  A friend of mine told me earlier this week that I'll forget about all of the grocery store tantrums, the twice-a-day wrestling match it takes to brush teeth and other things that make me want to pull my hair out...and simply remember the fun things my sweet girl did at this age.  So, I'm embracing where we are in the journey, taking deep breaths and never forgetting that this brown-haired beauty with a tropical tan was truly a gift from God.

Until next time (which hopefully won't be another four months!)

~M