Utter contentment

Do you know that feeling of utter contentment? Those days when you just can't stop smiling? Today's one of those days. I'd love to say it's because of something profound, but really it's simply because Katie is an pure delight.

Often I'm too busy with my "to do" list to really sit with Katie and enjoy her for long periods of time. It's easy to be counting the minutes until she'll nap so I can get something else done. But when I do that, I miss the little joys.

Katie's almost ten months, and is on the cusp of doing so many exciting things. No longer is she content to be a passive observer. She seeks adventure at every turn --What new thing can I explore? Can I reach that ledge, or is it too high for me to pull up on? How close can I get to the dog / dog food / wires / (fill in the blank) before Mommy notices and pulls me away?

Today we borrowed a Fisher Price Learning Table from friends whose baby isn't yet pulling up on things. Katie LOVES it. (I wish it wasn't $70!) She pulls up on it, and then every time a song plays, she bounces at the knees and wiggles her tushy in order to dance to the music. If she happens to be sitting when she hears music, she claps and claps. This week, she's been doing this with every toy she has that plays music. It's so much fun to see her become interested in music, especially since John and I love music as well.

If I put Katie in front of a mirror, she will pose and mug as if she was Madonna in the "Vogue" video. She will squint her eyes and grin, pointing her chin toward the mirror. She will clap. She will grab hold of the mirror and talk to it, or even lick it.

Again, it'd be easy to miss these moments of fun if I was distracted with other things. But when I focus on "being in the moment" and spending time with Katie as I would spend time with any other friend, I find myself really loving being a mom.