Denial

I'm in denial. There is no way she is already 11 months old! Her birthday is so close I can smell it!

In the past month she...

Got 4 more teeth- all on top!

Mastered walking and can even walk in shoes now.

Took her first bubble bath and had to taste the bubbles, of course.

Learned how to point her finger.

Loves to say "Bye Bye." She likes to look at her picture on my mom's cell phone then close it and say "Bye Bye."

Only laughs when you tickle her upside down on her neck. If she's not upside down, it's not funny.

Thinks it's funny to take a picture of herself then look at the picture in the screen on the camera.

Has started taking only one nap a day in the early afternoon, but is going to bed earlier. Usually by 9 instead of 10. She sleeps until around 8:30 every morning.

Gets so excited if I get out a book and comes and sits in my lap to read it, but she is so hyperactive that she can't sit through the whole thing. She is really hard to keep still and will rarely just sit in your lap for even a minute.

Hates to be held down, even for a diaper change. Putting a diaper on her is like trying to put a diaper on an octopus- or maybe a tazmanian devil.

Has started to climb. She has made it half way up my mom's tv stand, and one time she climbed out of her high chair onto the kitchen table.

When she is tired she puts things on her nose, preferably a soft blanket, but if a blanket isn't available she will hold any object against her nose.

She has an incredible shoe fetish. We can't leave shoes anywhere within her reach or she will steal them and eat them. She is just now learning to keep her own shoes on her feet instead of in her mouth.

I asked my husband how far apart in age he envisions our children to be. His reponse was, "Well, not more than 2 years." I did the math and realized that would mean we would need to start trying around Christmas, which is only a couple months away, and be pregnant early next year. That is so soon! I honestly don't know how second children are ever born. I feel lucky to be alive. Keira is such a good baby, but she really is a handful.

As much as I want our kids to be close in age, I just can't fathom being pregnant and taking care of my live wire at the same time. Not to mention the financial aspect of the whole thing. We have lots of thinking to do on the matter, but Art is less hesitant than me. He said, "More babies means more fun!" I'm glad he's so enthusiastic. I, on the other hand, may need some convincing.

Meet Virginia

"Is that a bruise?" Everyone asks me about Keira's arm.

"No it's just a birthmark."

"You know, I have a birthmark too. Right here on my leg. I had forgotten about it until today." She was a thin woman of 92, wrinkled from head to toe with wispy white hair. She hiked up her skirt to show me the mark her thigh which I was unable to distinguish from the age spots. I couldn't imagine being so comfortable in my own wrinkled skin. It was admirable, yet disturbing.

She went on to tell me about the time she died. She had her gall bladder removed when she was in her 20s and died on the operating table. She told me her memories from the other side of the veil and how they sent her back because she still had a purpose on earth. Her subject matter of choice made me wonder if she was old and senile or if she had treasured knowledge to share.

She went on to tell me about how she knows things before they happen, citing an instance where she dreamed of a rock slide that blocked a river. A few days later, there was a rock slide in Yosemite, exactly and she dreamed. I believed her because I have the same gift of knowing things before they happen and the spirit testified as to the truth of her words. Her pale blue eyes stared straight into mine as she told me the importance of documenting important things that happen in your life- something that I try very hard to do.

She took me by both hands, looked me straight in the eye and said, "I don't know why I'm telling you these things, but I know that I love you. There is something very special about you and I know I was supposed to give you this message and I love you very much."

Tears filled my eyes as I felt a connection I had never felt before. The feeling of souls communicating. Looking at her felt like I was looking in a mirror. Though we had just met, I knew we were not strangers. Her name was Virginia and I hope to meet her again.