Smiley Maile

It certainly goes without saying but I really can't help but pinch myself whenever I'm around Maile. Everything she does makes me smile.

Maile has become quite the chatter box. It's really funny because sometimes it's perfectly clear what she's saying, other times it's only clear in her head what she's saying. Even though you can't really make out the words, you can tell when she's counting because of the tone that she uses. At the same time, the word "yellow" never sounds more clear than when she says it.

She makes me smile.

Maile has also learned how to pop her collar. Tonight, she also showed for the first time that she can attempt to make the sign of the cross. Her favorite movie right now is Mary Poppins, especially the penguin part. When she watches it, she giggles, wiggles her booty, and runs around.

She makes me smile.

When she smiles, she combines both mine and Mindy's smile. She likes to squint while folding up her lip in slightly like Dana Carvey in Wayne's World.

She smiles and then makes me smile.

Last year, she used to go to bed and I would wish that she could sleep through the night.

Now, before she goes to bed, I ask her to wake up in two hours so that I can pick her up, lay her in bed with us, and sleep with her in my arms even for just an hour. It may sound cheesy but there's a sense of peace with having a one year old sleeping peacefully next to you no matter how crazy work and life can be. Or how tired I might be.

She's Maile and she makes me smile.