The First Year {motherhood}

It’s almost April already… the Ides of March have come & gone…  the day that my daughter was born.  The day I began to see the world in a different way.  When I began to realize just how hard it was going to be to teach another human being everything I have learned & everything I still do not know.  This was the day I knew I must be completely honest about my short comings & focus on the good things that I can pass along to make her life easy & beautiful.

I didn’t make a big ‘To-Do’ about her first birthday, & I know plenty of mothers are out there shaking their heads.  But it wasn’t practical for us.  We made it a fun day all about her- she got a few new toys, several books & I even dressed her in a special outfit for photos!  We spent the day visiting with a few of my friends- {all of whom made a big deal upon seeing her} & we spent the rest of the afternoon playing with new toys & I taking some photos.  I felt like that was a pretty complete day for a one year old growing girl!  And she clearly loved having our complete attention for an entire day!

I thought by this point I would know what color hair Miss Emmaline Rose would flaunt… but the truth is that it looks like a different color every day!  Sometimes a soft brown, other days blond but over and over again I see touches of red…  My mother tells the story that she didn’t know I was a red head until I was a year old.  Well, I’m still not sure about my little one.  Maybe that’s the funny thing about having red hair: you keep guessing until you can’t deny it anymore!?!

Over the last few weeks, I’ve photographed a new ‘crop’ of babies.  As I hold them, I find myself gasping in realization that my 18 pound squirmy baby was just this size last year.  How quickly they grow & change.  It’s been inspiring & amazing watching her progression every day.  A new wonder around every corner, adorable faces & tiny baby fits {which aren’t really so tiny}.

My heart melts when she calls out my name- ‘momma’ & when she grabs my phone, pushes the button & exclaims ‘Baby’ upon seeing her image appear on the screen.  How did I not know this person before last year?  It seems as though I have always known her & she has always known me.