Pause Button

Can someone please tell me where the pause button is? On our life right now. I just want to hit pause so I can really soak it in and make sure I enjoy every millisecond. I was just rocking Campbell in her chair for a few minutes before putting her to bed. Travis usually does this, but he had to work late tonight so we had a few quiet minutes to cuddle before bedtime. Lately she's so independent and such a "big girl" that it's quite nice when she's sleepy and wants to lay on me. I was just having a moment, thinking about this stage in her life, and in our lives.

What an amazing time for Campbell right now, and in turn for us. She is turning into a little person. Everyday I get a little more insight into her personality, who she is, what she likes, what makes her tick. It is truly fascinating to watch a person develop. She's learning so much, so fast. I feel like each day Travis comes home from work, I have an "oh yeah, you're never going to believe what she did today" story. And each day, he's so impressed because it's always something we had no idea she could do! These are just the little things I'm talking about. But my oh my, how sweet those little things are.

I have a collection of mental images in my head of the place where we are right now and of our little baby girl. I am trying to get those images burned in my head because they are so precious. Like when we strip her down for a bath, and send her down the hall in front of us to the bathtub. She is waddling down the hall with her bow-legged chubby little baby legs and a tiny baby hiney, just as happy as can be. And it never fails, she always pees on the bathroom floor when we start up the water. Ha! Or her new found love for dancing. She bounces when there is music on TV, when I sing, when we just tell her to dance. She's a dancing fool and takes so much delight in being able to move to the beat in her head (which is not always quite in synch with the beat of the music, but she's getting there!). Or how about how she moo's? All of a sudden I realized this noise she was making was her "moo." I'd been trying to teach her to moo like a cow. Everytime she sees a picture of a cow in a book or we say cow, she makes a noise much closer to that of an elephant. I love her moo, and I especially love how proud she is of herself when she sees a picture of a cow and makes the sound. The recognition in her eyes and the smile on her face is just plain adorable. And last, when we are coming home from being out and about, I'm holding Campbell while I unlock the front door. Every single time my key turns in the lock, she laughs like someone has just told her the funniest joke in the world. How great is it that coming home and the anticipation of opening our front door makes her so happy? I always end up laughing right along with her, it's contagious.

I guess my point is I want to pause and enjoy these tiny little parts of our big long lives so I don't ever forget them. I don't want to rewind, I don't want to fast forward, I just want to sit right where we are and enjoy the moment.