Things I love about you...

Tomorrow my beautiful girl you turn 8 months.  8 months that have gone past in the blink of an eye, in some ways it feels like you've not been here that long and in others it feels like you've always been there and I can't imagine life without you.

Already I can barely remember you as the smell little newborn who just stayed still and looked at me with wide eyes.  There's so many things that I love about you, that I'm sure I'm going to forget as you get bigger...

I love that despite me telling you for 9 months not to come on my birthday you decided to do it anyway

I love the huge grin you give me every time I come into your room after you wake up from a nap in your cot

I love when I check on you there's always at least one toe poking through the blanket

I love your cute curls in your hair

I love the way you always pull up your big toe from the rest of your toes

I love that you've ticklish feet

I love how excited you get playing peek-a-boo, your arms trembling with excitement waiting for the blanket to be pulled off

I love that you hold your arms up when you want picked up

I love that you spend all day going, ma ma ma, da da da, na na na

I love how excited you are on your swing

I love the MANY funny faces you pull

I love that you find such simple things funny

I love that despite all your toys being out that my shoes are still more fun to play with

I love how you are so cute when you rub your eyes when you're tired.

I love that you make me go at record speed to change your nappy before you crawl/roll away

I love that you always want to stand and won't bend in the middle to sit down

I love how you laugh so hard you end up with hiccups

I love that you always smile and get excited when daddy comes home

I love the way you splash about in the bath

I love the way you tap the floor with your hand for me to come here, after I did it to you

I love that you crawl after me if I step into the kitchen to see where I've gone

I love the way you pop your head around the kitchen door each morning to say "Any chance of breakfast Mummy?" 

I love that sometimes you only want me and no one else will do

I love the look you give me when you know you're about to do something you're not meant to as if to check that it's actually ok...it's still not

I love how you turn the pages of your book even if it's not in the right order

I love how you can put your dummy in yourself but not necessarily the right way up

I love the way you've captured my heart

I  love that we've been blessed with you in our lives

I love that your happy and healthy when not every parent is so lucky

Most of all I just love you, for who you are, the person you will grow up to be and I treasure these days of innocence and beauty.  The days that you want me to be here, you want me to play with you and you want to spend time with you.

I can't stop the time from going so quickly but I can only appreciate every moment that we have together.  Before I know it, it'll be your first birthday and our first proper joint birthday together.

I don't even want to think about how quickly you'll be going to nursery school, then primary and secondary school, dating, getting married and having children of your own.  For now, I just want to treasure that you are my beautiful and gorgeous 8 month old baby girl and hug you tight with all my might.

I love you little JD :)