one

Bitsy is one today.  Her sweet babyness is wisping into toddlerhood far faster than I am ready for.  This past week she's begun showing some temper - and it cracks me up!  As a mom of four, I've been down these roads enough that I am no longer bothered by toddler tantrums and know they will come and go and be done eventually.  The other day I secretly watched her get very angry at something she had trouble grabbing . . .  she clenched her tiny fists, ducked her dark silky head and let a piercing wail rip through the house until her cheeks turned red, then stopped, probably needing some air.  I guess she decided that was all the effort it was worth and after one more half-hearted attempt at the task, she moved on.

I can barely grasp that it has been a full year since I first held my newborn girl in my arms.  And I am still wrapping my heart and mind around the fact that never again will I hold my own child in their first hours of life - those days are now over.  I know I have a lot of years to enjoy ahead of me, but an era has ended and I pause, considering that no matter how hard I want to savor the moments and love the sweet breathing of a tiny person, holding the softest of skin against me, the moments are truly fleeting and quickly slip away.

Thankfully, there are still many baby-like moments ahead as my sweet Bitsy transitions into this new stage of life.  For today, I am thankful that she is mine, safely ensconced in this family who thinks she hung the moon.