First it was the newborn diapers, then the newborn clothes.  Next was the Rock-N-Play you slept in until you were four months old and then the Snug-a-Bunny Swing.  Today, it was the Bumbo and floor activity play mat.  All stored in the attic, likely waiting for a larger-than-life, baby gear liquidation yard-sale.

You. Are. Growing.  So fast, too fast.  Just a week ago you couldn’t sit without toppling over and now you are army crawling across the room.  I feel a mixture of anticipation and panic.  I can’t wait to see the development of your relationship with your sisters and yet I am terrified of you not fitting into the cradle of my arms anymore.

All there is left to do is absorb it; to allow it to permeate my skin.  To leave the chores left undone and blow raspberries with you, instead.  Your giggles are my gasoline and while I yearn for a full night of sleep, I am not quite ready to turn this page.

If I have learned anything from having your older sisters, however, it is that each new chapter offers more to love and cherish.  So while I will continue to marvel at your tiny fist wrapped around my pinkie as you nurse in the middle of the night, I will still look forward to the day we can walk alongside each other, holding hands.

Your book is just beginning, Emma Jane, and I am hooked.

Special thanks to Danielle Ice Photography for the first photo.