So, the bar exam is a week from tomorrow (!) and I’m in full-on study mode.  David’s mother is here to help – she’s been taking Adeline almost all day every day for the last week.  It’s amazing and I’m so grateful to her.  I seriously don’t know how I would have studied if she weren’t here.

And yet.  It’s like they say: you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.  I miss my baby so much!  It’s definitely making me appreciate how much I love being a mama.  I’ve come a long way from a few months ago.  So here’s what I really love:

1. The way she wraps her legs around me when I hold her.

2. Watching her figure out something new.

3. Her tiny voice as she says all her new words.

4. The way she smiles at me when it’s time to nurse.

5. How her tired body melts into mine when I hold her before a nap or bedtime.

6. Running around and dancing and screaming in the kitchen before dinner.

7. Tickling her and listening to her beautiful laugh.

8. Playing in the alley, chasing the dog and jumping in puddles

9. The way she picks a book from the bookshelf, hands it to me, and promptly cuddles up in my lap for story time.

10. Knowing that I’m doing everything I can to help her become all that she is.