Happy Birthday Miss Maya!

Aw, my baby is FOUR! That's crazy business, right there. I just don't know where the time goes. I know I've said this a million times before, but it truly is baffling. With Maya, I remember looking at her and thinking to myself, "oh... no matter how big she gets, she'll always be my little ball of cuddle." I mean, she's such a sweet little thing... always wanting to snuggle. And, that's true of her still, but there's nothing little about her anymore. She used to roll into this perfect little ball of baby chub right in my arms. It's like she was made to fit RIGHT there. Now, though, she has these lanky appendages flailing around. No more rolling. No more chub. It's sad, really. Sweet little thing's growing right up on me.

And, you know, it's almost sickening to me that I wasn't "into" photography back when my babies were babies. I missed it by just a few years. So, instead, I'm stuck with these crazy point & shoot pictures. You know the kind... the subject's washed out by the flash, while the entire background is dark. EVERYthing's either in focus or out of focus... forget bokeh. There are some seriously HEAVY shadows & it's oversharpened. Yeah... that's what I've got. Despite it all, I look back with an insane fondness. It's funny how the quality of the photo matters not when it comes to jogging memories. And, well, I guess that's the main point of a photograph, right?

I looked back through some of her newborn pictures today. I'm sharing my favorite with you even though you can't even see anyone's face. It's just... it's the way I felt about her from the get-go. It's pure adoration. Absolutely in love. Nothing's changed. If only I could wrap her in my arms and protect her from the world forever... If only she wanted to be in my arms forever...
And then there's this. This is what she's turned into. Haha! No, seriously. She looks like this about 90% of the time that we're home. Maybe even when we're not home. This kid has her own sense of... umm... style?
Happy Birthday, Miss Maya!