When you're 13.

When you're 13...I won't second guess having rocked you to sleep at night.

You will have told me you "hate me" by then and I will want to remember the following:

Your hair is fine, yet you seem to have a lot of it. It's blond - very blond, but your eyelashes are light brown with blond highlights. Your eyebrows are fairly light as well - leaving me perplexed, as we rock, whether your hair will look more like mine or your dads.

Some nights after a bath, we start our nighttime routine and your hair is damp. I wonder which way I'm supposed to part it - which way it wants to go - and hope I don't "ruin your 13-year-old self" with a calick you're bound to blame me for anyway. 

You're easy to settle as we rock. We read a book or two - most nights you turn the pages yourself - and then we "turn in" and rock you (sometimes me) to sleep.

Your head fits in the curve of my neck, your little arm around the other side.

At times when you've been more resistant to sleep...I get my nose picked, my cheeks squeezed, my eyes inspected, my lips motor-boated, and my mouth inspected. And as you do all of these things - I think yes, you could be trying harder to go to sleep, but I also think - every single thing you're touching and exploring is for the first time for you - brand new. How awesome is that? You have no idea it's 'inappropriate' to put your fingers in someone's nose and then especially when you immediately put it right in THEIR mouth! You have no idea, sweet cherub.

Your personality right now is beaming through! You are a pleaser - you want to be a good girl. You also LOVE to laugh, entertain, and explore.

I look forward to having the story of 1yr old to 13 years old to tell...which is why I wanted to capture it thus far.

You warm my heart and those of many others - with your "hey" and "ooh" and "dawg" - you'll have so many other crowd pleasing and personal accomplishments by the time you're 13.

I look SO forward to YOU rocking us sweet Georgia.

I love you sweet peach,
Mom