Boy How Time Flies!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can hardly believe that my once 5 pound 4.7 ounce peanut is now 25 pounds and 34 inches long! Where has the time gone? I'm no longer the mother of a "baby," but I'm the mother of a "toddler" who is Ms. Independent (when she wants to be LOL)! I love every single minute of motherhood, and by far, Shelbi Mae Gaffney Wert is the highlight of my life. She has become such a loving and affectionate little princess, and I do mean princess. She likes to color and paint and play in the sand and get into all kinds of fun stuff, until she realizes that she got paint or sand or dirt or anything on her hands. Then it turns ito "oh, no!" as she's either trying to wipe her hands on ME or showing me her hands to assist with the disposal of the paint, dirt, etc. I was never the "princess" type, so I'm not quite sure what to expect and/or how to handle it. I guess we will both figure it out as we go. LOL
She still loves her Sesame Street (Elmo and Ernie appear to be her favorite), but she is now into Ariel and Flounder from "The Little Mermaid" as well. I just absolutely love it when she comes over to me and says "Ariel," as that is the cutiest thing EVER. She just recently started talking (saying things OTHER THAN Mom, Dad, NO, yes, doggie-doggie-doggie, etc.), and she is really starting to pick up the language. It's adorable to watch her transform from a baby into a mini-human. LOL There are days/nights when I simply stare at her in awe and amazement, and I hope she never looses sight of how much I love her.