7 Months Old!

So a few minutes ago I commented on someone's blog, mentioning that I too have a six month old. That is a lie. As of today, I don't have a six month old. My little girl is now seven months old! I can't believe that she is growing up so quickly. It feels like just the other day I wrote this for her six month birthday, or this when she was born. 7 months ago...

7 hours ago - I was playing with BABY on the floor of my living room. The toys were spread out in all different directions but she wasn't interested in the toys. She mostly wanted to climb on top and all over me. And that was cool. I love playing with her, getting her to smile and getting her to laugh. After a few minutes her gaze focused across the room where her bouncy chair was. I was thinking about getting rid of it earlier today - giving it away or packing it up. I could see the determination through her focus. She leaned forward from sitting and started to crawl across the room - stomach on the ground - in a straight line for the bouncy chair. I have seen this before, but she is getting faster and faster with every attempt. So she crawled over, pulled herself up on the side, and started pressing all the buttons. Then she turned around, looked at me and smiled.

7 days ago - I was feeling terrible with a bad toothache. The kind that makes your head hurt, ears ring and neck tense up. And there is nothing worse than feeling terrible when you have a little baby that needs you. I looked at her and felt like I was in a fog. Two of my close friends came to the rescue. One of my friends who just started maternity leave and is due in a few weeks, took BABY for the afternoon so I could get some rest. Another friend came over after work and fed her, got her ready for bed, put her to sleep. That night, I held onto BABY extra tight. We didn't get to spend the day together like usual, and I didn't get to do all the night time things like usual, so I wanted to cuddle a little more than usual. It's amazing that we have such loving and caring friends and family. I couldn't do it - all of it - without them. While I was thinking about all of those things, I turned to BABY. Although she was in deep sleep, she smiled.

7 months ago - The most memorable times that I had in the hospital after BABY was born were those blocks of time that we had by ourselves. When everyone was gone. When I would wrap my robe tightly about myself, and pull myself out of bed. When I would look at this little baby wrapped in a blanket in the hospital-order bassinet - if you can call that thing a bassinet. I couldn't believe that I had a baby, a daughter, a person. She was so tiny but so bright. Is that the right word? I don't know. She was bright. It was like she sparkled. I wanted her to wake up. Partly because I wanted to pick her up so badly. I leaned in really close and watched her breath. I traced her check with my finger. I smiled.

7 years ago - I was so far from where I am now. The thought of being a mom, seemed like light years away. If someone would have told me then that I would be on maternity leave, writing a post for my seven month old daughter on a mom blog, I would laughed hysterically. I wasn't even sure if that being a mom was in the cards for me at all. And that was fine. There's a lot of living to be had in your early twenties. I didn't know what I was missing. I didn't know how much I was capable of loving. I didn't know how quickly my perspective on what is important would change. Most importantly, until just recently, I didn't know the power of a baby's smile.

So now I'm the mom to a seven month old baby girl. I know a deep, dense, undeniable kind of love. The most important things to me are crystal clear. And I know that power of my daughter's smile.

Happy Birthday pumpkin.