I hope I have this strong, seasonal nostalgia forever. Everything from the constant rain to the flowers that pop up along the driveway reminds me of when we brought Ruthie home. There is something so permanent in my memory around those first months with her. The smell of pampers and lanolin and sweet newborn skin. Feeling completely out of sorts and SO TIRED but also like taking care of her came naturally. The anxiety I had whenever anyone else held her tiny little self. I also very clearly remember feeling the post-partum blues and crying for way too long in reaction to a cheesy motherhood quote from Suzanne Somers' Facebook Page.
Ugh it still makes me teary...SO MANY EYEROLLS.
The year between her first and second birthdays flew by faster than any year in my life. The 5 lb baby who made us parents is turning into everything we'd imagined. She's so funny! And so adventurous. She sees a snake and her instinct is to KISS IT. Not to light it on fire or kick it into the trees. She is balanced and athletic (and tan) like Austin. She can have a conversation with anyone like a tiny adult. She has a fierce love for Sam the cat.
I'm learning already that the second year of life is not always easy. It involves intense emotions and no experience in communicating them which sometimes results in angry screaming and flattening oneself to the ground. But it also involves making new discoveries everyday, looking forward to going to mimi's house, learning to live with a baby brother, and feeling such happiness that it can only be expressed in a shrill squeak. In true Ruthie fashion, she took a while to warm up to her birthday party guests. I think she'll take the same approach to being a two year old. It's pretty amazing to witness all of this growth and I feel so lucky to call her my ootie dootie.
