I'm so lucky.

Playtime with mommy

It's hard to know where to start when I've not written anything in so long! My excuse for not writing is that Linnea's naps have been so short during the day that I feel like I barely have time to go to the bathroom and she's awake again (it's 11:00 and she's already on her second nap of the day.) She's becoming so aware of the world around her that I think she doesn't want to miss anything by sleeping the day away. She DOES sleep well at night though so I can't complain.

All cozy in her carseat for a snooze.

Alice, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit at a Halloween Party

The cutest rascally rabbit I've ever seen!

Happy girl playing with her hands (her favorite toy right now!)

I kept thinking I would write every time we had something planned but time is just flying by so fast. Since I wrote we've done lots of things: been visited by Angela from California, dressed up for Linnaea's first Halloween, gone canvassing for a local Congressman, played with other babies at our mom's group, gone out to eat with friends, and taken walks everyday. I am so excited for the next few weeks and months because we have so many fun things planned but then I worry that time will go by even more quickly. Debbie is visiting from Phoenix next week and Ben's family will be here for Thanksgiving and we'll be in California for Christmas before we know it.

Angela holds Linnaea making Linnaea appear even more gigantic than she already is.

Linnaea chats with her first boyfriend Gavin. "So, do you come here often?"

Christmas will be bittersweet this year because I know I'll have to go back to work as soon as we get back to Michigan in January. But I was rationalizing the whole thing recently by thinking that I might not be as appreciative of this time with Linnaea if it wasn't for a limited amount of time. I am not taking it for granted because I realize how special this time is. Basically, I will do anything to see that big gummy smile of hers. Both Ben and I will "goo" and "gaa" like idiots to get a reaction out of her because it is just like magic to see her face light up. At least once a day I still think to myself how amazing it is that she is real and she is mine, like it's still sinking in. I do often get caught up in the day to day stuff too but in quiet moments when I'm just staring at her it still feels so new and miraculous that she is here. Yep, I'm lucky.

Daddy and Linnaea have fun in the morning before he has to leave for school.