Olive's 6 1/2 week photos

Olive is going to be 7 weeks on Monday, so I decided to do a quick photoshoot! Because, as much as I'd like to admit it or not, she is growing so fast. Yesterday, she mimicked me. Yes, mimicked. I'm not even joking guys, she did it three freaking times. That's how I knew that she was seriously mimicking me. 'Cause at first I was like "No way is this little girl already mimicking! She must have just been yelling out in anguish at the ugly faces/noises I was making." But no, I promise you, this girl was doing the exact same thing I was. 

It scared the crap out of me, to be honest. And it made me realize, almost instantly, that the next time I blink it'll be her 1st birthday...then it'll be her 6th.. And so on and so forth. This brought a tear to my eye...Well, more than one tear.... But I don't want to come off too sappy. 

Vaughn always tells me, "Just think! In 6 years she'll be in preschool, in another 6 she'll be in middle school and in another 6 she'll be graduating!" Now I know that this excites him, because.. well, he's a dad. He doesn't get all sappy and emotional when it comes to these things, he gets overjoyed. How can he possibly be overjoyed about something that is taking our sweet, sweet baby away?! (Yes, I'm being extremely emotional today. I just can't help it). All the itty bitty baby parts about her will be gone in a measly 18 years.

Now I understand why parents (particularly moms..) cry at graduation. I know that my mom cried practically every time I hit a "major milestone". Well, even some minor ones too. Like when I drove off to Dunkin Donuts, by myself, for the first time.... She followed me to the end of the driveway, smiling, sobbing and waving like a mad woman. Now if that doesn't just melt your heart, I'm not so sure you have one! Because I know that seeing her cry, made me cry too. 

When I was younger I always just thought of my mom as an emotional mess- Since, y'know, she was always crying whenever I did something. For example here's just a list of firsts she's cried at, just for a good ol' laugh: First kiss (when I was 5 or something), day at daycare, day at preschool, day at regular school, day at high school, every single picture day*, school dance, first boyfriend, my brownie graduation, when I got my permit, when I got my license, first time I drove by myself, when I bought my first car, first time I drove to school by myself, prom, graduation, the day I had Olive, and most likely a few others I missed. 

(* My mom has taken me to get me picture taken since before I could even remember. Before there were school photos, she'd take me to WalMart to get them done. Then she'd frame the biggest picture and hang it on our wall at home. You could seriously look around our living room and watching me grow up... awkward stages and all.)

Now, this will probably seem absolutely nutty to anyone that isn't a mom. But you know what? It makes sense now. Crazy, I know. I always thought my mom had a few screws loose, or that she just had the worst tear ducts ever. But, that's normal after you have a baby. Every major (or minor) milestone is an emotional thing, because it makes you realize just how much your baby has grown. And with that comes tears, lots and lots of tears. 

Being a mom myself now has made me gain a lot of respect for my mom, as well as an understanding for why she was always as crazy as she is. Because she's a mom. That's just what comes with motherhood, absolute craziness. Because you need to be crazy to go through everything you do on a daily basis, especially with multiple kids. I can't even imagine how my mom would have been if I had any brothers or sisters! But I love my mom, dearly, and I always have. And whether she's crazy or not, she's my best friend. 

Now enough of my rant/speech/whatever you'd like to call it, to the pictures! 

And this gem just for blackmail ;-)  

xo Jess.