Days of toothless smiles and milky breath

August has learned to give kisses. She hugs, rests her head on me and will suddenly open her toothless, lil mouth and plant a big kiss on my cheek, or eye or knee... We are nearing the last months of year one. It feels like it has been longer than a year, from here. I love her sweet, milky, baby breath.

She walks now. It is funny what you expect to do as a parents then your child goes and changes it all up. Last year I pictured myself one day, stooped over, holding tiny hands, patiently and vigilantly helping my baby learn to walk and I imagined this would happen around the 11th or 12th month. August surprised us all by standing one day and then attempted steps. Soon after that, more and more tiny steps, not holding on to a thing. This past week she just started toddling around her room. She didn't skip crawling, there was some crawling about but not for long.

My favorite thing ever is when she walks over with her favorite book in hand and puts it on my lap. Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown. Her 2nd favorite book is one called Mi Libro de las Caras , a board book with pictures of babies making different faces and their expressions captioned in English and Spanish. That one started to get walked over today, almost all day.

Those beautiful, toothless laughs and smiles I love so much will sprout tiny teeth soon enough. Changes are daily, big ones around the corner, being slow to get there is fine. She'll start eating only solid food and all that is babyhood will nearly be done. For now we do a lot of gazing into each other's eyes, much singing, hugging, laughing at each other.  There is picture taking time, nap time (online time for mommy) but even then, I miss her and watch her sleep.

August is active but not as active as she is going to be so I do stop everything and take it all in. Nothing is more important, everything can wait.  When I slow down for August and enter her world, refusing to get caught up with housework,  time sits next to me and just stops. I've stumbled upon something.