Laughs, Picnics and Love

Katherine, you are 6 months today. What a journey it has been so far – and much more to come… I can’t wait! Life is full of laughs, surprising moments and so much love; every day brings something new.

A couple of days ago your daddy, you and I walked to the beach at the Okanagan Lake in the evening (ok, ok, daddy and I walked and you were comfortably pushed in your stroller). I had packed us a picnic for dinner and we sat down by the lake enjoying a casual meal and great family time. After dinner I took you down to the water and you watched the waves coming in; I could tell you were both fascinated and calmed by the gentle waves breaking at the shore. I carefully stood you on your feet and held you as your toes touched the sand and the little waves washed over your feet, the sun started setting behind the mountains. Giggling and laughing we stood in the water – it was one of those “perfect moments”.

Tonight I had a hard time letting you go to sleep – during our playtime just before bed I couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing the last 6 months have been and how our lives have changed so much. More hectic? Sure. More challenging to balance my days? Sure. But above all, so much more perfect!

Throughout the evening tonight we’ve had some funny laughing “conversations”. As soon as I laughed, you responded with this giggling belly laugh until you stopped and looked at me, waiting for me to laugh again, then it was your turn again and so on. This went on until we both stopped, looked at each other with serious expressions and burst back into more laughter and giggling.

You are teaching me that when life gets challenging – and it does – taking time to laugh, taking time to go for a walk on the beach is making the day much happier and much less stressful. When things go wrong for you – and they do, you will react (and yes, in your case that usually means crying at the highest voice volume possible). But then it’s time to move on, get a hug, and look forward again with a new smile and fresh energy. Thank you for reminding me of that every day. I love you always and forever.