slowing down

I remember when Lila was born I was so focused on just getting through the days. Looking forward to the time when I would be able to get a full nights sleep again, when she would be a toddler and we would really be able to play together and do cool stuff like go on bike rides (never mind the fact I don't actually own a bike). With hindsight, I should definitely have been more in the moment and just making the most of the stage she was in right then rather than always thinking about the days ahead. When she came into our lives I was only 24 years old and my whole life was turned upside down very quickly and unexpectedly- bye bye late nights of partying, indulgent shopping sprees and leisurely lie-ins. It was all a huge learning curve for both Curt and I and I don't mind admitting I really had no idea what I was doing most of the time.

Having witnessed the astonishing speed in which Lila has grown and changed over these past three years, I am now much more mindful of taking in each stage in her development and enjoying it for what it is, both the good and the less pleasant bits, knowing she will oh-so-soon be moving on to the next phase of her life. Armed with this knowledge and a few more years of wisdom and experience, since Rose arrived I have been soaking up every second of her precious baby days, aware that they will be over all too soon. When she was a tiny newborn I realised a few times that I just been sitting in bed staring at her sleeping in my arms for an hour in the middle of the night when I was absolutely shattered and should clearly have been getting some shut eye as well. Every few days it dawns on me I haven't taken any photos of her lately and I turn into a camera wielding maniac, snapping about a thousand shots of her in the space of ten minutes.

I still look forward to all the fun things both my girls will be doing in the future and when life might get a little less full on (ha...the teenage years, who am I kidding!) but I've realised that the present is a pretty great place to be in too.

photos...I couldn't resist taking a shot of Curt, Lila and Rose's hi-tops! I obviously need to get a pair so I can be in the gang!

Below are a couple of pictures of Rose taken yesterday.