18 things I love about you

Little Talia is 18 months old.
She went to nursery last Sunday and while those two hours in church without a squirming toddler were extremely liberating, I found myself wondering what she was doing. I have to leave her often since I am in school, but this was different. I am not sure why. When I picked her up she practically fell out of her chair to run to me. I was handed a lovely picture she colored, but all I could do was hug my grown-up baby.

To my Talia: 

Here are 18 things I love about you.

1. How you color so viciously passionately. 

 2. Your current fascination with your belly. 

3. How you "hide" by facing the corner and smiling.

 4. Your curls!

5.  The fact that the shoe bin comes up past your thighs.

(And that you climb in there to get into mischief.)

6. How you think squeezing your eyes shut at dinner is sooo funny.

7. Your selection of stuffed animals.

8. How you always wait for Daddy to come out of the bathroom. 

9. The way you say "uh-oh, uh-oh!" when your shoe falls off. 

10. How possessive you are about your chair.

11. The size of your feet/ the shape of your toes.

12. The way you walk.

13. How you are addicted to watching videos of yourself. 

 14. How you always wait for me at the stairs 

because you are too scared to try going 

down by yourself (even though you can).

15. The way you play with balloons. 

16. The lady-like composure you put on the minute 

you step out the door.

17. Our giggle fests as I am trying to put you to sleep.

18. The fact that whenever I ask you for a kiss, 

you lean your forehead in to get one instead. 

 

I could say so much more, about how I never want her to grow up,  how proud of her I am for picking up on two languages so easily, how good it feels to hold her, blah blah blah. I'll just end with this; every night as I lay her down and she's watching me so intently, hugging her bunny so tightly, I thank God that I get to spend this life and forever with an angel.