Simple Moments, Sweet Memories

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Sixteen months ago, our daughter entered this world a week later than expected.  Since those first moments in the delivery room, she brought so much joy into our lives.  Some days, it is hard to imagine our lives before becoming parents of a sweet baby girl.  Each day is a new adventure in the journey of parenthood and is filled with special moments, funny stories, silly games, play, learning and exploration.  I don’t want to forget any of it.

I want to remember the small, every day moments because those are just as special to me as the big milestones.  I want to celebrate life’s every day moments.  Afternoons playing at the park, story time at the library, adventures at the grocery store.  The small, every day moments that fill the photo library on my phone tell a story, show an emotion, reflect a quality unique to my daughter’s, and capture a moment in time.

Whether you take pictures of these every day moments or write about them in a journal, it is important to document them.  I create photo books and display my favorite pictures in frames scattered around the house.  These every day moments are special and can bring a smile to our faces.  My daughter is growing so fast and I want to remember those little things that are unique to her and our experiences together.

So, in honor of my daughter’s “Sweet 16” months, here are 16 simple, every day things I love about my daughter:

1. I love seeing her smile in the morning.  Her smile brings sunshine to a cloudy day and instantly lights up a room.  It is genuine and screams joy.  She is happy and her happiness is addicting!  It makes everyone else smile, too.
2. I love listening to her “read” a book.  There’s nothing like music to a mother’s ear than listening to her child babble through a storybook.  She points at pictures, explores each page, turns the pages, and “reads” the pages.
3. I love her persistence and determination.  She will keep trying to open the lid of a container or try to carry several things at once without giving up.  She pushes her stroller and shopping cart all over the house and playroom.  If something is in her way, she does not give up pushing!
4. I love her friendly personality.  She says, “Hi” and waves to strangers in the grocery store.  She blows kisses to family when we are going “Night Night” or “Bye-Bye”.
5. I love how excited she gets over the smallest/simplest of things.  She played with the same balloon for weeks!  She would carry it around the house, throw it, chase it and kick it.
6. I love her reaction to something new.  She instantly wants to see, touch or play with something new (or old that was made new again).  When she sees a new way of playing with something, she will say, “Ooooo” or “Ohhhh”.
7. I love how she points to everything.  When you carry her, she will immediately start pointing to things around the house and we give her a “tour” of the house, talking about everything she is pointing to.  We look out each window, talk about the pictures and things displayed on our shelves, talk about each room of the house.  She does this a lot when the grandparents come over to visit!
8. I love how she insists on taking things out of drawers, bins, boxes, bags, and cabinets.  There’s always a trail of items left through the house.
9. I love how excited she gets about eating.  When she sees food, she will say, “Umm”, point and do the “more” sign with assertiveness.  She will walk over to her high chair, too.  She goes bananas for fruit.  She moves her legs and arms like crazy when fruit is being brought to the table.
10. I love seeing her glow with pride when she figures something out.  When she stacked up her cups all by herself, she smiled and clapped for herself.  We are practicing the skill of walking down the stairs and when we reach the bottom, she claps!  She is so proud of herself.
11. I love watching her follow the cat around the house.  Our cat will keep moving away from her and she continues to follow him.  He is interested and curious about her, but likes to keep a certain distance.
12. I love watching her look out the window and point at the things she sees.  I’ve started opening the blinds and curtains in the front rooms of our house.  The windows are low to the ground, which makes them the perfect height for a 16 month old toddler to look out of.  It’s even better when the cat joins in on the fun and looks out the other window!
13. I love her laugh.  The silliest sounds and faces will make her laugh, especially when you blow raspberries on her stomach!
14. I love listening to her babble or “tell stories” to the stuffed animals that are in her crib.  When she is up from her nap, she will babble for awhile.  I see her in the monitor picking up her stuffed animals, “talking” to them and putting them back down.
15. I love the pitter patter of her little feet as she follows me around the house 🙂  Now that she is walking, she is on the move constantly.  I can only imagine how many steps she logs in a day!
16. I love how lovable she is.  She will sit on my lap or my husband’s lap after bringing us a book to read.  She will ask to go “up” when she wants to be held or she wants to sit next to me on the couch.  She gives hugs to her stuffed animals.

My daughter is so special to me and thinking about these “Sweet 16” things I love about her warms my heart.  These are the things that make motherhood such a rewarding experience.  These simple, every day moments are what tell the story of our home.  Some days, I get caught up saying, “It will be so nice when my daughter can …”  However, by saying those things, I am wishing away the days.  I do not want to wish away the days.  I want to enjoy life with my daughter and soak in each and every moment I spend with her.  The simplest memories truly are the sweetest things 🙂  She will only be this young once!

What are the small, every day moments that bring you joy, laughter and love?  Do you reflect on these moments in a journal?  How do you document these sweet memories?

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