"Light tomorrow with today"

When Madelynn turned one year old back in November, I (like every other parent) experienced many feelings. I was excited (she's a whole year old!) and sad (she's a whole year old already ... when did that happen??). I was also incredibly upset to realize that her "one year calendar" would be finished ... no more places to quickly write all the cute things she did and said. After flipping through the calendar to find ANY itty bitty space to write about the next time she laughed with Daddy or played with the dogs, I realized I would have to put the calendar away, as there were no more spaces left (cue tears).

I decided to find another calendar to write in all her milestones. After searching a bit, I didn't seem to find one that I loved (too bulky, not "cutesy" enough, etc.). We were in Target one day a few weeks ago, when I decided to just "look down the stationary aisle quick." A quick glance told me there wasn't anything I was looking for, until  a small blue notebook caught my eye.


Frustrated, I threw it in the cart thinking maybe I could get it to work for what I needed. Little did I know at the time, it was exactly what I was looking for. It happens to be the perfect way to document Madelynn's new words, the cute things she does, and when she (hopefully soon) begins to walk.

I never kept a pregnancy journal, so I started her notebook off with some pregnancy highlights, followed by delivery highlights, and then picked up where her calendar left off. I carry it in my work bag, so it is easily accessible at all times. My work bag usually stays in the kitchen so if I feel like jotting something quick in her notebook, it's right there. If she does something cute when I drop her off (like last month when she blew kisses to me through the gate), I can quickly write it down when I get to work before I get pulled into the craziness of the day.

I also happen to love the quote on the front of the notebook, "Light tomorrow with today" (Elizabeth Barrett Browning). I think it's so appropriate considering the nature of what I am writing in the notebook for Madelynn to look back on someday.

On a larger scale ... Many people envision things the way they "should be," but often times, it doesn't work out that way. Embrace the new path, because you never know where it might lead!

xo Shannon