What we have

Today I couldn't stop thinking about Mia.

Someone I know through work lost his son, who was only 11 months old. He had ear problems and epilepsy, but from what I can tell, his death was completely unexpected.

Sometimes I worry about what has to be done, what has to be finished or accomplished or completed by the end of the day. Sometimes it's hard for me to pause.

Just this week Mia has learned to wave, started crawling fast and began moving from sitting to crawling. She pulls herself up, wants to be held when she's coughing and laughs in short, loud bursts. She is a joy. She smiles at everyone. When we took her to have her picture made with two of her grandmas, she smiled in every photo.

She's so smart. She was crawling toward my laptop and Leigh snapped her off the floor before she could do any damage. He put her down far away, facing away from the computer. She immediately turned around and headed back to the laptop. Last week, I learned that she knows between 10 and 20 words right now. Say Mia and she'll look at you, knowing you want her attention. She knows grandma and oma and daddy. She's working on mommy.

She's so brave and interested. She's curious. She's loving and friendly. She rarely cries, even when she tumbles.

I love her so much.

The death of that sweet little boy made me pause today and think of how grateful I am for Mia. She's healthy and happy, and - I thought it was trite before I became a parent - nothing is more important than that.