Freezing the picture–Grace at 14 months old

Dear Grace. This is just another post mummy just HAS to write to bottle up more of your baby-ness because it’s just slipping away too quickly for words.

Checking out the mini petting zoo at our church Easter carnival today #pettingzoo #babygirl

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Apr 20, 2014 at 8:42am PDT

You are fourteen months old. Still yet a baby. But definitely well on your way to toddlerhood.

I adore the fact that you are still chock-full of squishy and rolly bits and you still have a lingering baby smell in your hair that I cannot stop sniffing and smelling whenever you happen to be in my arms. Which is gradually happening less and less often these days. Because you just. Cannot. Stop. Moving.

Baby behaving all grown up pushing around the big kids wheelbarrow at the playground outside #babygirl #10monthsold #play

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on May 14, 2014 at 1:07am PDT

From the moment you wake up until you go to sleep. Your legs never stop moving. You are forever trotting about everywhere, getting your nose into everyone’s business.

I love that you still walk with a little baby waddle, with your little tushy wriggling from my side to side with every single step you take. You still trip and fall down every few minutes as you try to keep up with all the big kids zooming around you. But you’ve never let that deter you. You’ll be up again in a split second, trotting along with the big gang once again.

One year old Grace drawing on the chalkboard #babygirl #chalkdrawing #babyantics #oneyearold

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Aug 12, 2014 at 11:30pm PDT

I sometimes wonder if the reason why you’re growing up so quickly is because you’ve been thrust into this group of bigger and older kids that are now part of our everyday lives.

Even though you are often the youngest and littlest one in the gang, you’ve never let that fact stop you from powering through anything. You are more than capable of holding up your own. Both in volume and toughness.

15-month-old Grace climbing up all the way to the top of the monkey bars all by herself. That has got to be some kind of record!

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Nov 5, 2014 at 10:39pm PST

And boy are you one tough little girl.

You know how to grab on tightly to any object you stake your claim on. Sometimes even grabbing toys and objects (even food) from older toddlers in the gang.

You are as tough as nails. Bumps and tumbles don’t seem to phase you. You may yell out loud when you take an especially big tumble. But you pick yourself up again and continue marching on.

Baby wanting to have a go on big brother's scooter #babygirl #babyantics #babysister #scooter

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Jun 9, 2014 at 8:30am PDT

You’re the only little person who is tough enough to keep up with your big brother’s rough and tumble plays, wrestling and squishing and rolling around together in a happy little heap.

You couldn’t wait to start catching up with your big brother. You were in such a hurry to keep up that you started walking all on your own at 11 months. And just after you turned one, you already learnt how to climb up the ladder on the slides to slide down all on your own. It just blows my mind how quickly you are developing.

Just wanted to freeze this picture and capture how fast my baby girl is growing, already climbing up the ladder and sliding down the slide on her own at 13 months old #babygirl #babyantics #slide #playground #13monthsold

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Aug 28, 2014 at 12:07am PDT

But you’re not just all brawn. You have brains too. Daddy calls you his ‘clever little cookie’.

Just like your big brother, you simply adore books. As soon as you were able to start cruising around at eight months old, you started pulling all our books off the shelves to ‘read’. And now, an regular times throughout the day, you would pick up a book, hold it up to me or daddy and say “Book!”, then trot over to our story-time mat, plonk yourself down, and look up expectantly at us, waiting to read a story together.

You have the sharpest little eyes, keenly observing everything around you. Nothing escapes your eye. Especially food. You refused mushy baby food right from the start, preferring to chomp down the same food as we were having.

One year old Grace is currently obsessed with handbags. She insists on wearing one everywhere every day and selects a different one each time. I keep a box of my old handbags for the children to play with which Grace loves rummaging through #13monthsold #babygirl #babyplay #babyantics #bags #handbags #accessorising

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Sep 3, 2014 at 10:50pm PDT

Your latest obsession is with bags. You insist on wearing one around the house all the time. I have a box of old handbags which you enjoy rummaging through to select a different one each day. What amazes me is your keen observation of this little detail and ability to imitate and copy it. And also be able to categorise and group similar items in the same family – i.e. bags.

It’s a strange feeling watching you grow. I am both eager to see what comes next and what else you can do, and at the same time I just wish I could freeze you, just as you are right now.

The happiest baby girl in the world to me #babygirl #happy #happiness

A post shared by Serenely (@livingserenely) on Oct 11, 2014 at 6:02am PDT