Swelling

Since I first became pregnant, I swelled.  Parts of me swelled at different times.  Some parts swelled more pleasantly than others; my whole body, my feet, but mostly my heart.  My heart has swollen in a major way time and time again from the moment I knew of Molli’s existence.  This past week has proven to expand my hearts’ capacity to love and experience very full joy. 

My wonderful mom has been in town for a very special visit.  I love that she was able to be here for Molli’s first fireworks, hair trim, and pigtails.  Also, she was here for my 26^th birthday.  The first birthday I’ve had with her in years!  She made me my special chocolate birthday pie.  Cake is not my favorite so Mom has been making this for me since I was about nine years old.  Moms have a way of making ordinary things special- bath time, meal time, play time, walks, and trips in the car.  Things that I just do on a daily basis were made extra special with my mom here. 

 

On the fourth, we partook in celebrating with friends and went to the community fireworks.  I’m not going to lie, the free watermelon is always a great incentive to come to the fireworks, and it happens to be Molli’s favorite food!  We made sure Molli had a solid nap beforehand, put her in her big girl two-piece Tinkerbell jammies and headed out to watch the firework display.  We were very unsure how she would react to the booms and bangs, but were very pleasantly surprised!  She clapped and reached out for them, full of excitement… definitely a moment of heat swells. The joy on her face was so wonderful!  The thrill and uninhibited pleasure were enough to make me wish the moment would last far longer than a few short minutes.

To top it off, my mom was there, surely basking in the joy of watching her daughter’s heart swell with happiness for her sweet grandbaby.  What a special evening!

I have taken Molli in monthly to get portraits taken (as though I don’t have enough pictures of her).  Mom and I made plans to take her for her nine-month portraits and dressed her in a cheery outfit my mom sewed for her.  We experimented with ponytails and were so happy to discover that her hair is long enough, and more adorable than ever in piggytails!  I threw together some korker hair-bows to top off the ensemble.  She hammed it up at the studio, showing off all eight of her teeth!  The pictures couldn’t have turned out cuter! 

Again, my heart swelled at the sight of her looking so cute and grown up.  I don’t know when the transition from babyhood to toddlerhood happens, but I dare say, we might be almost there.  She is looking so old these days!  She doesn’t walk yet, but it wont be long.  She definitely has the strength, and probably the balance.  The coordination and interest are not quite there.  We play a standing game a lot these days- this is how it goes:  I hold her up in a standing position in front of me and she kicks, flops, bends and protests verbally until she gives in and stands up.  I let go and she stands (hence the name of the game).  Then she busts into a little grin and tips.  That’s the fun part! She tips any direction, usually leading with her head and smiles the whole way until I catch her.  She knows that someone will catch her and has no fear.  It’s a beautiful sight!  I almost don’t want her to walk because I want her to hold onto the fearlessness.  She hasn’t learned a reason to be afraid of tipping, and walking will certainly influence that!  My baby needs to stay a baby for a little longer, I’m not ready for her to grow up!

Mom leaves tomorrow and I’m so not ready.  It’s been wonderful having her company and help.  Molli is certainly not an easy baby, and Mom has filled a huge gap for me.  Even just playing with her so I can clean the floors or switch the laundry.  She’s saved me from having to listen to Molli’s big boo-hoos when I leave the room or pay attention to something other than her. 

Beyond being a big help, Mom has been a big encouragement.  Her natural ability to engage Molli and her patience with her has been a reminder to me that this girl is still a baby and just wants to play with, love and please me.  Mom is truly a beautiful example of the mother I want to be; patient, kind, gentle, and willing to slow down and laugh.  My heart is swollen tonight with the joy of having my mom around, playing with my daughter.  As sad as I am to send her on her way in the morning, I am beyond excited for the next time I’ll her- in a couple weeks Molli and I are traveling to Arizona to play with Jackson, and will meet Mom there, as well as Dad and Brian!  How fun will that be?!

Thank you, Mom, for being you, and for being here!