8 Months

Yesterday marked 8 months since I met my beautiful little daughter. I love motherhood and how easily it fits and feels like the life I have been leading forever. I love how motherhood makes all the stressful things in life that never go away (money, school, work, sickness, etc...) seem so unimportant in comparison.

There are days when I feel like I have gotten absolutely nothing done, I haven't talked to a single person that understands what I am saying and can talk back, I never even got around to brushing my teeth (gross, I know), it feels like I have been cleaning all day but there are still dishes the blasted sink, and in the moment it can feel incredibly mundane and little. When those days happen, and they are not even close to everyday, I let my thoughts and my gross breath get to me and it sometimes feels like my life has no point. Every time I get down in the dumps thinking those inaccurate thoughts I look at my daughter and suddenly remember my life has incredible meaning. I am raising a daughter of God. I have been given and blessed with this huge and wonderful responsibility. This is the most important thing I will ever do. I look at her and hold her close, smell her heavenly scent, and I feel this love for her that makes my chest want to explode. I loved her the second I found out I was pregnant and second I laid my eyes on her tiny little body. She is starting to get a personality and I realize I don't just love her as my daughter, I lover her for her. If that makes sense. Its amazing. This motherhood thing.

These last 8 months have been so much fun (it got much more fun once she started sleeping through the night, I will admit that). Avery now has 4 teeth, lots of hair growing in, and absolutely no desire to crawl or even roll around on the ground for that matter. I feel like she is going to walk before she crawls. She talks her own language of baby babble A LOT, and very loudly (especially while the sacrament is being passed). Tantrums anyone? Yes she throws tantrums, which totally took me by surprise, by the way. I had no idea a little 6 month old baby cold throw a temper tantrum. She loves attention but I am convinced her most favorite thing to do in whole world his pull my hair out by the handfuls. I understand the "mommy haircut" now and may be sporting it soon.

In honor of her 8 month birthday yesterday, I took some pictures of her in the front yard. Surprise, surprise....I know.