Changes and sames and differences.

Boston is changing and growing so fast that it is nearly making me have a breakdown. The day I had to pack away her newborn clothes I cried. The day she turned one I cried. The day I realized she wasn't a,"baby" anymore and she was a toddler I cried. And just the other day I was watching her and I realized she isn't even a toddler now she is a kid... so, you guessed it, I cried. A part of me wants her to stay little forever... to never stop needing me and loving our cuddles but another part of me wants her to keep growing because I love watching all of the new things she is learning and doing.

When she was born on February 24, 2012, after almost 25 hours of labor and nine months of pure hell (literally after having a baby I left the hospital 40 pounds less than my pre-pregnancy weight I was that sick) I got to hold my brand new baby for the first time. I remember looking down at her and to be completely honest I thought, "holy sh*t, I just gave birth to a miniature, girl version of Michael." If you saw her back then she was the spitting image of him. Her looks have evolved since then and although she has some of his aesthetically still I am seeing a lot of me in her. It's also fun to see other pieces of my family members in her... so, I guess I wanted to share about that today. 

She has the biggest brown eyes... that is the number one thing she gets her complements on. Although her 'dad has brown eyes his are more of a golden brown and hers are a black brown. But, they are shaped JUST like my moms. Another small fun fact... when I was younger I received an award for, "biggest blue eyes" at the county fair (my eyes are really green now), so, mine have always been just as big as hers. I like that with something so simple as eyes she has so many of her families.  Of course she has my terrible qualities... my flat feet, long and skinny fingers and toes, my thin, slow-growing hair.... and to just so everyone knows her 'dad has red hair and I have naturally blonde so, I'm not sure where her dark pretty brown hair came from.

Without talking about physical traits she LOVES ice cream.... If I would let her, she would eat it every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I on the other hand have it as rarely as possible; it just never feels good on my teeth. But then I think back to my own Grandpa John, whom I miss something fierce, who also loved ice cream, so when she asks for it, it's so hard to say no. I am a night owl who wakes up irradiated at the world for the first four hours of the day. She has no qualms waking up and their is usually a happy, sleepy smile on her face when she does so. But we both love veggies, we both love going on walks and because my love for birthdays is rubbing off on her, we both adore birthdays.

Her growing up and becoming a, "kid" has been hard on me (any other parents who have felt this speak up so I know I'm not alone) but at the same time watching her grow into herself is fun. It's fun to see the little things her family does that she also does. I guess it's a catch 22.... (if you don't know what that means look it up it is by far one of my favorite books). You just can't have your child turn into who they are meant to be if you are holding on to their "baby moments".... this is more a lecture to myself than to anybody else. I literally have about five gazillion pictures of her younger times to remind me of those 'infant/baby/toddler moments" (literally, I probably have that many pictures). 

I love our differences. I love our sames. I love that she insists on sleeping naked and still gets hot while I have more blankets on me than I should and still get cold. I really do love seeing her become her.

XO:
Ashlynn&Boston
BRONSON

I did say that I am learning to apprciate it... which is true I am learning to. But in the mean time I am going to post some of my favorite Boston evolution pictures.... & just so you are aware every February around this time you can expect a minor freakout about how old my "baby" is going to be.