HAPPY NEW YEAR

I've lost all track of time and of updates but that's only because time has become virtually irrelevant. Ultimate zen. Most enlightened master!!!

But Natanya's first Christmas seems record worthy. OH MY GOD WHAT FUN TO CELEBRATE WITH A BABY!!!! Even in her tinyness she was mesmerized by the magic. She saw her first fire in a fireplace, met new relatives, had her schedules totally disrupted, caught a cold (her first), LOVED opening presents and really got engaged with everything new...

I think that all the hubbub created a gigantic growth spurt. Not only is her body growing reallyreally fast but last night I woke two times to some funny, unusual little baby sounds and discovered that she had rolled over in her sleep and gotten stuck on her tummy. This morning when I opened the refrigerator to get milk for my cereal, she reached in and grabbed her teether right out of the door. She sits up propped up with pillows and laughs at the world (and my funny faces) until she gets hiccups! She sang Dust My Broom call and response style with Chris Smither the other morning and frequently sings while Jono plays the guitar... She loves being read to and is able to focus through whole books (board books). Her teething has become a very critical part of her daily engagement. LOTS of drool and really cute bibs... We're gearing up for the introduction of solid foods within the next month. Tomorrow is her 5 month birthday and she seems like such a big girl. We refer to last month as "when she was little" or "when she was a baby" which is so silly but so easy to do as we interact with our big, beautiful, growing child who has personality and can communicate so much so well...

I remember so clearly this time last year when I had her newly making her presence known inside me. How excited I felt and how happy I was. Now she sucks on her toes and makes sweet sounds and fills our home with an ever growing abundance of love.

I wish for us all a new year filled with this sense of rightness and okayness and readiness and sweetness. I wish for us all the rememberance of magic that the little ones exhibit every day. I wish for us all the patience that is required to love ourselves and each other properly, even when we feel tired, overwhelmed and empty. I wish for us all a sense of comfort and finally inspiration in all that we do. So it stays fresh and fun and new....