rock star

yep, it's official. harper's our rock star. michael and i met with her daycare teachers tonight for parent-teacher conferences (yes, i was shocked, too, that an almost-two-year old has ptc!). and we pretty much could have stared at each other for our 20 minute allotted time if we only talked about any concerns that we had in her. but, instead we talked about the things she amazes us with. how well she's progressing. how she chit-chats all day long. how she loves to play independently, but will also call out her friends names repeatedly when she wants them to come play with her. how she greets every face that comes in the door. how she loves art and music and building and climbing and being outside. she's doing great, and i can't tell you how good that makes a mom and dad feel when they have a sense of peace about how their child is doing when not in their care. she seems to make others happy to. they told us as we were leaving that she is such a joy to have. she is one of a kind, that beautiful little of ours.

some things i am also loving right now about her...

the way she busts out into song at any moment, and while it may take a minute to figure out what song she's singing, a word or 2 will come out at just the right pitch, and you can't help but join in.

the way she says i'm sorry when we've hurt her, accidentally of course. when my ring has scratched her or we've pulled her shirt over her head too hard or the door has bumped her knee. she's giving us our cue that we are the ones who need to apologize.

the way she reminds herself out loud mantras that we repeat constantly. be careful. watch your fingers. watch your head. go slowly. it's almost as if i don't need to remind her of these things anymore, cause she knows what she's supposed to do and she tells me that she knows. but i still will, cause that's what mommies do.

the way a mommy hug can ease her cries and tiredness. the snuggles are so perfect right now, when she rests her head on my shoulder and folds her hands under her belly to get in extra tight. she even asked tonight to snuggle in mommy's bed before her bedtime. i obliged, much to michael's chagrin, and miraculously, she did not put up a fight when we told her it was time for her bed. i think i'm going to like our new bedtime routine.

on a photography side note- my iso was up way too high for these photos and i ended up with most of the shots being overexposed. at least i got a few good ones, but that's what happens when you don't reset your settings before you turn off the camera for the night. live and learn. it's all part of the process of learning to become a better photographer, even if just for snapping away at your family.