thankful heart today.
thankful for afternoons where i forget what time it is and instead find myself lost in her world of play.
we mama’ed a little brood of babydolls today, and i marveled as she instinctively and lovingly cared for them…as if she’s been doin’ this for years. i swear she’s been here before.
she gently pats them and rocks them…hums little songs as she tediously folds the corners of the blanket around their little bodies–the very same blanket, in fact, i tediously folded around her own little body just a year or so ago.
she sways them ‘to sleep’ and hushes me if i get too loud. she totes them around in the crook of her arm and flawlessly performs tasks with her free hand like a true multi-tasking mama. she feeds them, spoon by spoon in the little wooden high chair and changes their diapers, slowly and surely, even stopping to ‘shake’ a little powder.
she is a good, good mama. she is gentle and kind…quiet and caring. and i can’t help but swell just a bit that maybe…just maybe…she learned how to love these babies by watching how we love her. and it sets the bar even higher knowing we are teaching her to love.
oh, how i love babydolls.
…and to my own babydoll:
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart…
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart).
~e.e. cummings
Love that EE Cummings quote. LOVE. And that last picture? Swoon.
Smooch.
Maybe it is a oh-so-brief glimpse into her glorious future:
perhaps she will be a lover of children…
perhaps she will be that pied piper with a trail of wee ones following her about…
perhaps she will house an abundance of little tots…
I know I am just a stranger but take heart… what she is doing now may foreshadow her bright future.
I know… because it happened to me.
I am constantly surrounded by children of all ages. I find myself almost at lost when I haven’t hugged a little one after a day. My mom would say that when I was a toddler, I was a sweet little momma with all my babydolls. Just like your sweet little one.
Your blog is a sweet blessing to my day. Thank you beautiful, kind stranger.
Very inspiring poetry and about Lainey I should say that she will be a nice mommy cause she has such a good example . Your blog is so inspiring , cozy and lovely
PS: I miss your comments on my blog … please be welcomed
Love the third pic from the top…what a sweet face, and those EYELASHES! HELLO!? OMG!
Cute pic of her and the baby dolls….love that one!
be still my heart! oh lainey love, i hope one day my little girl is just like you. so sweet and gentle and loving. can jonah and i come play baby dolls with you?
is that biggest one a bitty baby? i can’t wait to have a little girl to take the american girl doll store and pick out her first american girl doll. i can’t wait for your mommy to do the same with you and capture it all brilliantly like she does.
oh and i LOVE your dress.
xoxo sweetness!
love,
aunt tisha
Oh my baby doll explosion!
Where’s her real baby doll she’s with everyday? She loves that one the most and it warms the cockles of my heart to see that!
I’ve never used the word “cockles” before – did I even use it right?
oh my gosh…these pictures are beautiful. that last picture is gasp-out-loud material bc that is exactly what i did when i saw it!!!
love this post. it’s so…
babydoll-ish:) and i love a babydoll even if my little girl would rather rock a gloworm instead-sigh.
xoxo
isn’t this age fun watching them with babies? cora is lovin on her baby dolls too! and i always get hushed … no matter how quiet i’m trying to be …
(glad i’m not the only one!)
that pink with sparkles doll diapers is a favorite of my girls … they didn’t want that one to be in the giveaway … glad you are enjoying it! maybe i should have sent the leopard print diaper to you … it would have TOTALLY changed the tone of your pictures!
You have taught her well. She was watched you take care of her and Lily day in and day out. We are role models even when we do not realize it. The last picture is my favorite. Lainey and her baby dolls.
Kelle..wanna trade lives…..???
Just for one week?
You can take my place in the studio singing with a bunch of Diva wanna be’s in crap midwest February weather while my kids are gone ALL DAY and I’ll go play with widdle wainey wove and GO OUTSIDE with her and get fresh air and count myself the luckiest girl alive….wanna? huh? wanna? PLEASE????
She learned to love because of the happy loving home she is raised in. Those pictures are so sweet and brought tears to my eyes. Nothing sweeter than a baby caring for a baby:)
that last picture is priceless! and i love the one of her shushing you…one of my favorite baby things ever!
you’re such a great mama!
Oh my gosh the first one of her changing her baby’s diaper took my breath away just for a split second. She’s just too sweet.
OK, creative photo idea. You must take a photo of Lainey from behind…just her precious shoulders, neck and back of her head…then, you need to photoshop lettering, like her imprinted baby label…something like Hampton Lifelike Babies, Manufactured in America, Guaranteed lovable…just like the back of her baby dolls…yeah, do it.
I finally broke down and bought “Have You Ever” and “Colors” on itunes. They should cut you a piece on the $. Not only do your pics/blog rock but so does your music. It took me two HOURS to figure out playlist.com. Happy almost Friday!
mmm…I just slooowly scrolled through your pictures, and read your words aloud very softly, with my own babydoll here beside me, looking on with fascination and joy at the words.
thanks.
Cute pictures! It’s so funny in the last one, that her babydoll is pretty much the same size as her, haha 🙂 By the by, kudos for getting mostly babydolls with eyes that don’t “open” when you tip them up. Those kind freak me out, especially when they are well-worn and one of the eyes stops working, haha, and you have a creepy winking baby doll, haha. Sorry, random tangent…