11. And Then There’s This One

This is the one that adds sparkle where ever she goes, often quite literally depending on what she happens to be wearing.

She’s quick to hug, to lend a hand, or to just share her smile.  And she’s one of the main reasons I’ve been enjoying this slow-down in our schedules over these past few months.

My plunge into tumour-land when she was just four months old made for sub-optimal mother/daughter bonding.  As I’ve worked to resolve/overcome my emotions about that whole experience, one of the hardest things has been dealing with the guilt I felt over the way my time with her as a baby was spent – meaning I hated how the tumour was like a shadow hanging over us, when my early days with the Older One weren’t fraught with so much angst, or any angst at all (with the exception of the angst that comes with being a first time mom).

As I have been busily putting the whole tumour thing behind me, I’ve also been busily spending more quality time with my little one.  We had more walks home from school, more time cooking in the kitchen, more time just snuggling.  And we’ve had more little adventures – we may have had our nails done once or twice (complete with sparkly pink nail polish), we may have gone shopping for new dresses, and of course, we may also have purchased matching bikinis.

I keep saying to the Husband that I want to bottle this summer and keep it forever; it has been absolutely perfect in every way; and especially because I’ve had the un-harried, un-scheduled time to sit and watch as my little one is truly becoming her own little (sparkly) person, and to really cement my bond with her as her mommy.  And while I can’t literally bottle up everything that this summer has been, I can take photos like this one, so I’ll always remember it.