17 Months and As Busy As Can Be

Marie is 17 months old now, and though I still can't always grasp that my baby is growing up so quickly, I can't deny it either.  She's so full of life, so full of energy and just so darn busy.

Things we want to remember about this past month:

-the way she pretends to read out loud
-the way she says, "Cock-a-doodle-do"
-the way she hugs me around the neck and squeezes so tightly
-the way she kisses her daddy, head tilted, eyes closed
-the way she says, "No" to almost everything, even if she doesn't mean it
-the way she says, "Mama, Dada, Mama, Dada" over and over as if she just likes knowing we are here
-the way she pushes her way to the front of the kids at story time
-the way she looks in summer dresses with a bow in her hair
-the way she dances
-the way she pretends to talk on the phone
-the way she has started snuggling with her bunny
-the way she picks up everything in her path on her way out from her nap
-the way she has started to eat like a champion
-the way she slowly spits food out when she doesn't like it
-the way she gets a huge jolt of energy when Grandma shows up at the door
-the way she pitter patters down the hallway to get something from her room
-the many ways she says, "Mama"
-the way she answers in the affirmative--a firm head nod and "Uh"
-the way we laugh together when she's acting cooky
-the way she melts into me when I'm rocking her to sleep

And a million more things that I already can't remember.  Thank you, God, for these best 17 months.