Spring

Spring is coming, or maybe it is already here if all of the flowers are any indication! When I visited my Nana and Papa last week they had many blooms in their yard- daffs, crocus, tulips and they were too good to pass up taking a picture with. While choosing a location I found this awesome vintage Canada Dry crate and I knew we had a picture! I have told my Nana and Papa to enjoy this crate until my studio is completed, because once it is I AM STEALING IT! 

Baby girl in the daffodils

 

With Spring now here it means that Everly’s first birthday is fast approaching, wow, how the hell did that happen… or to quote Everly’s dad, “Qu’est que F**K?” I have started to plan her birthday party, she is wearing 12-18 month sized clothes, she talks, she walks… she is officially a toddler ugh! And again I ask myself, how did this happen? The one year mark for anything always seems to be a time for reflection. I myself have been reflecting on my first year of motherhood and have come to decide what my most favourite and least favourite things are about being a mom. I am going to start with my least favourite so that the post finishes on a positive note. 🙂

 Least Favourite:

– Cutting nails; this counts for both fingers and toes. This has always been one of those things I just do not like doing. When the baby is very tiny it is hard to even see their nails let alone trim them! Then, further on down the road of development, babies do not like to sit still once they can move; at this stage in the game nail cutting is like hostage negotiations.

 – Sleep training; if you read this blog you know why! I would have to count sleep training Everly as one of the most challenging experiences of my life. It was necessary for our family and in the end I am SO glad I did it, but it was tough.

 – claustrophobia; if you are a mother you probably know immediately what I mean by this… you no longer have any personal space, lol! When I am washing Everly’s bowls and spoons at the sink she comes up behind me and grabs onto my pants and pulls and screams. I am not sure if she is trying to be funny and “pants” me in front of her dad or if she is secretly working for the pants testing company, either way it is one of those things that illogically makes me crazy.

 – Dusting the crib; all those slats make for annoying dusting, I think the only thing worse is dusting the venetian blinds!

 Most Favourite:

 – Wake up snuggles; that moment when you lift the baby from their crib and the bury their face in the crook of your neck and murmur. They are warm and squishy and smell oh so good; that moment of my day is the one in which I feel most loved.

 – Anytime snuggles; now that Everly is on the move it is rare for us to get a snuggle in! I love it when she seeks me out, climbs into my arms, wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a big, wet, sloppy kiss. She usually squeals in what I believe is either delight or battle cry at this moment also, which makes it all the more adorable.

 – Pride; I don’t mean personal pride, but pride when I look at my daughter and can say I taught her that or I helped her to discover that. Recently Everly was assessed as a learning tool for work (she was the test baby) and she did well, so well that some of her skills were nearly 12 weeks beyond her actual age. I admit it, I felt good when I saw how well she did. I beamed. What parent doesn’t want their child to do well?

 – Adventure; although we don’t really go somewhere super fantastic every day, we still have adventures. Every thing is new to Everly and therefore I get to see everything new again through her eyes. It has been a long time since I have examined a leaf or a flower so closely, makes you realize that you might take a lot of beautiful and interesting things for granted!

 – Her smile; there is nothing in this world that can make my heart melt like Everly’s smile. I think that’s why all of us around her will go to the ends of the earth to make it appear on those days when she is grumpy. I have to admit that I would be embarrassed if someone saw some of the ways I behave when it is just me and her; the silly songs, the sweet dance moves, the voices, I am a such a dork; but it makes her laugh so I get over it!