Happy First Birthday, Marlo Ann

I was in the elevator with Marlo in Las Vegas when she was about six months old. A man who was about my dad's age got on. He looked at her and smiled, and then he looked at me and said, "Don't blink".

Was he ever right.

The time goes by so fast, and I don't want to miss a second of it. I've been looking at old photos and videos and I can't believe how much Marlo has changed and grown. And she was right in front of me the whole time, so I don't know why I feel so robbed.

Enough about sappy me!

Marlo has six teeth. She is walking more than she is crawling now. She is a chatterbox! "Baby" is the one word she uses consistenly in context. She loves music and does a little side-to-side sway. Sometimes she "sings" when she hears me butchering a song.

She likes to play pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo (now she is the peek-a-booer). She loves being chased and she's always looking for a reason to laugh. My favorite is when she hears the garage door when Mark comes home. She stops whatever she's doing and scrambles to the gate and the top of the stairs to see him.

Sweet, happy Marlo. I love the look of wonder on her face, the sound of her laugh, her little mouth when she's chewing, As much as I wish she'd stay a baby for just a bit longer, I look forward to watching her grow and learn because she just amazes me. She is a joy beyond measure...a blessing in every sense of the word.