This month was full for missy girl. The kind of full that sneaks up on you and suddenly you realize you’re standing right on the edge of something big.

Somehow, we are only one month away from Dorothy’s first birthday.

This month we celebrated Dottie’s first Christmas. Her first New Year. The quiet closing of one chapter and the gentle opening of another. She popped her very first tooth (one single day before photos, so look reallllllly closely).

Dorothy loves to climb anything she can find and it is low-key blowing my mind. I know people say every baby is different but remembering how chill Felix was and how content he was to just sit and read board books, Dottie’s energy and passion amazes me. She dances whenever music comes on, her whole body grooving before she even realizes it. She’s also starting to practice walking with assistance, testing her balance, and getting so frustrated when anything blocks her path. Watching her feels like witnessing courage in its earliest form.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I noticed it. The way her expressions linger a bit longer. The way she communicates what she wants with an outstretched pointed finger and a “DOH!” of intention. The way Felix and her play and wrestle and laugh together. The way she hugs her stuffed animals and pats her baby dolls with affection. Some of her responses and behaviors are definitely feeling “toddler-like”. And while that makes me so thankful, it also catches in my chest when I realize I can’t hold it too tightly.

This stage is bittersweet in the truest sense.

I love that she is bright and spunky, already so sure of herself. I love her curiosity and her spark and the way she seems to know exactly who she is becoming. But wow, babyhood goes by quickly. Faster than you ever think it will when you’re in the middle of some of those long nights.

This month felt like a pause before the next big leap. A deep breath. A reminder to look closely at where we’ve come. To notice the tiny details. The tooth just barely peeking through. The wobble in her steps. The baby girl who is slowly, beautifully, growing out of babyhood.

One month closer to one. We’re doing it baby!