mothers day

This was my first mother's day, and it was so great that Matthew might regret setting such a great precedent in years to come!
Abigail slept in until 7 (she is now sleeping from about 7-3:30 nonstop and then again until 6 usually!) so that was her gift to me as well as her very first scribbles. After church, my special mom activities were getting some hand prints from Abby since MAtthew was queasy to do it himself, a walk to get a sweet treat with afternoon coffee, and a fun trip to Barnes and Nobles. The pictures tell the story of finger painting, which she apparently detests as a true daughter of Matthew's, but it was worth it for my 2 tiny 1 year old Abby handprints!
And the bookstore story needs to be told... because i set Abby down with all sorts of toys, books, and stimulation in every direction and this is what my baby went directly for:
1. A doll! As much as I wanted to encourage her to love whatever she truly loved and not just like dolls because she was a girl.... She truly loves "babies" (she actually calls them such as well) and will almost always seek them out in a pile of toys. She dragged this Dorothy wizard of oz doll around almost the whole time we were in the store.
2. The second thing she went for with the doll in hand was a rack of pink barbie books. Sigh. Did she even come out of me at all?! I'm pretty sure I never owned a barbie and didn't think she would either. If i truly want to let her be who she is though, that probably means i need to let her like pink girlie stuff too if that's what she's into.
3. Lastly, she played with all the doggie books and stuffed animals we could find. They were a bit more hidden (3rd shelf up!) but once we pulled down some Spot dogs and others she was enthralled with those too.
All in all, it was a learning moment for me. I hope to keep finding opportunities to let Abby tell me, as much as an almost 1 year old can, who she is so I can truly nurture her into being her best self.